Face masks will no longer be compulsory after restrictions end on 19 July, a cabinet minister has said.
Speaking on Sky News this morning, UK housing secretary Robert Jenrick confirmed reports that enforced mask-wearing will come to an end after ‘freedom day,’ with some restrictions, including face masks, becoming a matter of personal choice.
He said: “We are going to move into a period where there won’t be legal restrictions...but you will want to exercise a degree of personal responsibility and judgement.”
He added that the Prime Minister will “set more detail on the national policy on some of those restrictions in the coming days.”
The news comes as newly appointed Health Secretary Sajid Javid wrote in The Mail on Sunday this morning that “The economic arguments for opening up are well known, but for me, the health arguments are equally compelling.”
He added that lockdowns and other coronavirus measures “have caused a shocking rise in domestic violence and a terrible impact on so many people’s mental health.”
However, it is understood that Government officials have been discussing the possibility of reintroducing baseline Covid restrictions for the winter.
