Face Masks to Become Voluntary in England

The wearing of face masks in England will become a personal choice, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said on Sunday.

Jenrick affirmed that the data, which will determine if lockdown restrictions can be lifted this month, was looking "very positive".

"It will be a different period where we as private citizens make these judgments rather than the government telling you what to do," Jenrick told Sky News.

"It does seem as if we can now move forward and move to a much more permissive regime where we move away from many of those restrictions that have been so difficult for us," he said.

"We're going to have to ensure that every adult gets double vaccinated, because that is the key to keeping the virus under control as we move into the autumn and the winter."

Moreover, he mentioned that legal lockdown restrictions will be removed on July 19 under the government's roadmap, noting that the Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out details about the final stage of easing in the country in the coming days.

Asked if he would stop wearing a face mask if permitted, the housing secretary replied: "I will. I don't particularly want to wear a mask, I don't think a lot of people enjoy doing it, we will be moving into a phase though where these will be matters of personal choice."

On his part, the prime minister announced on Monday that people in England are “very likely” to be able to return to “pretty much life before Covid” on 19 July.