Face masks should be worn past July 19 lockdown end, ministers to urge
BRITONS should keep wearing face masks even past the end of the coronavirus lockdown, ministers are expected to urge.
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After postponing the end of England’s third coronavirus lockdown, Boris Johnson will give an update on whether restrictions can be lifted on Monday. But even if restrictions are lifted, sources say some social distancing guidance and face masks will still be encouraged.
Step four of the roadmap out of lockdown would see limits on indoor groups, social distancing rules and working from home guidance come to an end.
The Prime Minister has insisted July 19 will be the “terminus date” for lockdown, but has refused to give a “cast iron guarantee”.
But while laws on wearing face masks and social distancing in bars were expected to be lifted in July, The Telegraph claimed ministers will advise Britons to keep abiding by them.
The outlet also said Mr Johnson and ministers are increasingly optimistic an end to all restrictions can happen.
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Mr Johnson, according to The Times, wants lockdown laws to be replaced with a call for “personal responsibility”.
A senior Government source told the outlet ministers want to “get as close to normal as possible” on July 19.
Government officials have been encouraged by the “very, very” low number of deaths from Covid, but are said to think July 5 is too early to lift restrictions.
The Prime Minister, according to the outlet, considered ending lockdown on July 4 a “real possibility”.
Ending rules on face masks and social distancing would put the UK at odds with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommendations.
Dr David Nabarro, a special envoy on Covid for the WHO, told Sky News there is a need to "maintain defences against the virus to stop it welling up more and more”.
He said face masks should feature in “life to come, at least until there's enough vaccine, and enough certainty, to be sure that vaccination will protect us”, adding “right now we can't say that”.
Dr Nabarro said that, due to variants "as well as using vaccine as part of our defence, we're going to have to continue by keeping a bit of a distance from each other”.
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Coronavirus cases jumped in the UK by 40 percent from Tuesday to Wednesday as the Delta variant rips through the country.
June 23 saw 16,135 cases, 19 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test and a further 211 people admitted to hospital with the virus.
In total, the UK has seen 4,667,870 cases and 128,027 deaths from the virus.
Another 299,837 first doses and 250,875 second doses of coronavirus vaccine were administered on Wednesday.
In total, 43,448,680 first doses and 31,740,115 second doses have been been administered, equalling 82.5 percent and 60.3 percent of the population respectively.