Everything you need to know about the new face mask rules coming this month

The government has announced that wearing a face covering will be mandatory on public transport in England from June 15th. 

The rule applies only to England on transport such as buses, trams, trains, coaches, aircraft and ferries. Young children, disabled people and those with breathing difficulties will be exempt.

The government published guidance in May to state that homemade cloth face coverings help reduce the risk of transmission in some circumstances, and told the public to use them in certain situations where maintaining the social distance is difficult, i.e. in the supermarket.

This has now been updated, for England only, to the mandatory wearing of a face coverings on public transport from June 15th 2020 – the rule coincides with the reopening of non-essential shops, which will put added pressure on the transport networks.

Passengers who do not wear a mask will not be allowed on board the transport, or will be told to get off at the next stop. 

At yesterday’s daily coronavirus briefing, Grant Shapps said face coverings would be ‘a condition of travel’, adding that not wearing one could lead to a fine.

One of the biggest debates surrounding coronavirus is whether or not everyone should be wearing face masks.

It is still encouraged to wear a face mask in certain situations where social distancing is more difficult, however this is not mandatory. 

Scotland is considering making face coverings mandatory in certain situations. Wales has not recommended face coverings for the general public.

It’s important to note that wearing a face mask, according to the government, is ‘to protect against inadvertent transmission of the disease to others if you have it asymptomatically’. It is not to help the wearer. This means masks help to stop the spread of coronavirus. 

Surgical face masks and medical-grade respirators should be left to healthcare and front line workers.

Instead, the public should opt for making their own at home from cloth, or purchasing other reusable masks.

Campaigns like The Big Community Sew has been designed to help ensure every person in the UK can get access to the face masks they need. The campaign states that if every person with a sewing machine at home made a dozen face masks, there would be enough face masks for every person in the UK.

You can watch videos to follow along and download sewing patterns for both beginners and experts here. 

New reports have raised concerns regarding the single-use face masks and other PPE equipment, and the detrimental effect specialists are already seeing on the environment.