Government scientific advisers have warned that ending compulsory mask-wearing will spread confusion and undermine the drive to bring coronavirus under control.
The warnings came as Boris Johnson prepared to confirm this afternoon the removal of remaining lockdown restrictions from 19 July, including the mandatory use of face-coverings on public transport and in enclosed public spaces.
With cases of the virulent Delta variant rising, Mr Johnson is expected to backtrack sharply from earlier messaging suggesting masks would become a thing of the past after so-called “Freedom Day”, and instead stress the importance of caution.
New guidance on mask-wearing will not be legally binding, but the public will told they are “expected” to continue covering their faces in areas like buses, trains and some shops.
The prime minister’s tone is expected to strike a stark contrast to his comments only a week ago, when he suggested people “might choose” to wear face masks in crowded places, and recent remarks from cabinet ministers that there will be lots of people who want to “shed those masks”.
Professor Peter Openshaw, a member of the Nervtag group which advises ministers on new and emerging respiratory virus threats, said it would be much more difficult to persuade people in large numbers to observe mask-wearing guidance if it was not compulsory.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme he said: “I think it is very difficult to say that it is up to people to choose whether to wear face masks when it is not only protecting yourself but also protecting other people. “It’s so much more straightforward to try to get face masks used in dangerous situations if there is some kind of compulsion behind it.”
And intensive care consultant Dr Sarah Clarke, a board member of the UK’s Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, said pressure on the NHS would rise to unsustainable levels if people gave up on Covid suppression actions following 19 July.
“I would absolutely err on the side of extreme caution,” Dr Clarke told Times Radio. “I will continue to wear a mask at all times when I’m in an enclosed space, and I will to protect others and ensure that others stay as safe as possible.” She said there had been a 60% increase in admissions to intensive care over the last week, with more than 500 patients admitted every day. “That’s not sustainable if we all decide to take our masks off and think that the vaccine programme no longer applies,” she warned.
Dr Mike Tildesley, a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (Spi-M) group, said there had been “mixed messaging” over face masks.
He told BBC Breakfast that “some ministers have come out and said they’ll be very happy not to wear their face masks and then we’ve had others, even in the last couple of days, saying ‘we would still advise you to wear them in these settings’.
“I think it’s quite confusing actually for people to know what the right thing to do is.
Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said on Sunday he was “confident” the government could press ahead with stage four of the roadmap, allowing venues such as nightclubs to reopen, lifting social distancing measures and removing indoors socialising limits.
However, he also conceded it was possible daily hospital admissions could peak in the thousands – just days after health secretary Sajid Javid admitted daily infections could exceed 100,000 in the summer.
Speaking at Downing Street on Monday, Mr Johnson is expected to tell the country “we are tantalisingly close to the final milestone in our roadmap out of lockdown”.
Urging caution, he will add: “The plan to restore our freedoms must come with a warning. While the phenomenal vaccine rollout has offered every adult some protection against the virus, and the crucial link between cases, hospitalisations and deaths is weakened, the global pandemic is not yet over.
“Cases will rise as we unlock, so as we confirm our plans today, our message will be clear. Caution is absolutely vital, and we must all take responsibility so we don’t undo our progress, ensuring we can protect our NHS.”
According to the latest government statistics, the UK recorded 31,772 positive cases of the virus on Saturday while 26 deaths were also confirmed.
Health minister Edward Argar on Monday denied the government’s stance will fuel confusion, insisting that Britons will “form their own common-sense judgment” over whether to cover their mouths and noses.
“What we will be looking to do is see the legal requirements fall away but for guidance – strong guidance and cautious guidance – to be in place for people to exercise their common sense,” he told Today.
“I don’t think that the British people will struggle to look at the guidance and form their own common-sense judgment – I don’t think it will introduce confusion.”
Mr Argar said he would personally “continue to carry my face-mask in my jacket pocket” and put it on in settings like crowded trains, hospitals and other places where authorities require mask-use, as well as if others were uncomfortable being in an indoors environment with those not wearing coverings.
