n95 face mask

It was announced yesterday that wearing a face covering in shops and supermarkets in England is to become mandatory from 24 July.

Those who fail to comply with the new rules will face a fine of up to £100, the government has announced.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said it would "give people more confidence to shop safely and enhance protections for those who work in shops".

Check out Bill Nye’s mask experiment

The move will bring England into line with Scotland and other major European nations like Spain, Italy and Germany. 

Since mid-May, the public have been advised to wear coverings in enclosed public spaces, where they may encounter people they would not usually meet.

It is important to stress that it is still essential that we all keep washing our hands!

It has been compulsory on public transport in England and at NHS facilities across the UK since 15 June. 

He added: "There is also evidence that face coverings increase confidence in people

As we saw in the news recently, Face coverings are to be mandatory on public transport from the 15th June.

Also, people aged over 60 are now being advised to wear medical-grade face masks by the World Health Organisation.

Last week The World Health Organization (WHO) changed its recommendations on face masks, now saying they should be worn in public where social distancing is not possible. This is to help stop the spread of coronavirus.

Some countries already recommend or mandate face coverings in public, while the WHO have argued there was not enough evidence to say that healthy people should wear masks.

However, WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday that "in light of evolving evidence, the WHO advises that governments should encourage the general public to wear masks where there is a widespread transmission and physical distancing is difficult, such as on public transport, in shops or in other confined or crowded environments".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52927089