London: The use of face masks as protection against coronavirus will become a matter of “personal choice” as the UK lifts legal lockdown measures in place later this month, a Cabinet minister said on Sunday.
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said there will be a move towards greater “personal responsibility” as the UK prepares to end lockdown restrictions from July 19.
His comments came as several UK media reports on Sunday indicated that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is preparing to declare an end to compulsory face masks and other measures during the course of the next week.
“It does look as if – thanks to the success of the vaccine programme – that we now have the scope to roll back those restrictions and return to a normality as far as possible,” Jenrick told the BBC.
“We now have to move into a different period where we learn to live with the virus, we take precautions and we as individuals take personal responsibility,” he said.
When asked if the requirement to wear face masks in certain settings will definitely go, he added: “I can’t make that commitment this morning because the Prime Minister will make an announcement in the coming days – it does look if the data is in the right place.”
In an interview with ‘Sky News’, the Cabinet minister said that like many people, he wants to get away from the restrictions as quickly as possible.
He said: “We don’t want them to stay in place for a day longer than is necessary. We are going to now move into a period where there won’t be legal restrictions – the state won’t be telling you what to do – but you will want to exercise a degree of personal responsibility and judgement.
“So different people will come to different conclusions on things like masks, for example.”
The comment come a day after the British Medical Association (BMA) had called on the government to keep in place some lockdown measures, such as the compulsory use of face masks in enclosed spaces, in place beyond the July 19 timeline.
“As case numbers continue to rise at an alarming rate due to the rapid transmission of the Delta variant and an increase in people mixing with one another, it makes no sense to remove restrictions in their entirety in just over two weeks’ time,” warned Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA Council Chair.
However, the indications are that the British Prime Minister is keen to move on towards the so-called “Freedom Day” with an end of several restrictive measures, including the requirement to scan a QR code when entering a bar, restaurant, hairdresser, gym, museum or other venues.