Andy Burnham urges people in Greater Manchester to continue wearing face masks after July 19th

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has encouraged people across the county to continue wearing face masks after July 19th. 

On Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the remaining Covid restrictions – such as the use of face masks and the one metre social distancing rule – will be fully scrapped on the revised ‘freedom day’ later this month.

Yet while the majority of the country rejoiced at the news, those living with existing health conditions and disabilities were left with impending feelings of stress and anxiety.

@anniespratt / Unsplash

It’s no secret that Covid is far more serious for those over the age of sixty and those who are already managing underlying or existing health issues – health.org found that six out of ten people to die from Covid were disabled. 

And, here in Greater Manchester alone, there are over 500,000 disabled people – that’s 19% of the population, according to the Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People (GMCDP).

So, with these statistics in mind, Mayor Andy Burnham has issued a plea to residents to continue wearing their face masks and adopting social distancing efforts while out in public. 

In a video statement yesterday, Burnham said: “I will be making real efforts with Transport for Greater Manchester over the coming few days to emphasise why people should do the respectful thing and continue to carry their mask with them.

Mayor of Greater Manchester / Facebook

”I will ask people to put themselves in the shoes of somebody who is going by bus to have chemotherapy. I will ask people to put themselves in the shoes of somebody who has a compromised immune system.”

He went on to stress that this isn’t a matter of ‘individual freedom’, but a matter of thinking about those who could be seriously compromised if they were to catch the virus.

As it stands, the use of face masks is still set to become voluntary after July 19th.