Wearing a face covering in shops and supermarkets is being made compulsory from July 24 in England, with anyone flouting the law risking a fine of £100.
The Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who like President Trump, made a point of wearing a mask in public for the first time, finally appears to have been persuaded by Prof Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, president of the Royal Society and now a senior adviser to the British government.
Venki set out his case in unambiguous terms last week when he said: “It used to be quite normal to have quite a few drinks and drive home, and it also used to be normal to drive without seatbelts.
“Today both of those would be considered anti-social, and not wearing face coverings in public should be regarded in the same way.”
Venki appears to have convinced Boris, with the new rules on face coverings announced in the Commons on Tuesday by the health secretary Matt Hancock.
During a visit to the London Ambulance Service on Monday, Boris conspicuously staged a photo op wearing a mask and also offered the clearest signal that the government was looking at “tools of enforcement”.
Ahead of the announcement of the new measure, Boris’s official spokesman cited “growing evidence that wearing a face covering in an enclosed space helps protect individuals and those around them from coronavirus”.
It has been made clear that “face coverings are not the same as face masks” and that they “can be made from scarves, bandanas or other fabric items, as long as they cover the mouth and nose”.
The regulations will be made under the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984, with a maximum fine of £100 — halved, as with parking fines, to £50 if it is paid within 14 days.