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, reports quoting 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.
