London: Wearing face masks will soon be a matter of “personal choice” for people in the UK, according to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Asked if he would stop wearing a mask if permitted, Johnson told Reuters replied in the affirmative, adding that many people will prefer to discard the face mask if possible.
“I will (not wear a mask). 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,” Johnson was quoted as saying.
The UK is set to open up its economy after July 19, when it will “move away” from restrictions that have been difficult for citizens.
“It will be a different period where we as private citizens make these judgements rather than the government telling you what to do,” said housing secretary Robert Jenrick.
“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 added.
Reiterating the PM’s statement a week ago that most COVID-19 restrictions in the UK will be lifted on July 19, Jenrick said that it’s looking “very positive”, thanks to the success of vaccination programme.
“The data that we’re seeing and the Prime Minister is reviewing at the moment ahead of his decision point on the roadmap looks very positive,” Jenrick was quoted as saying.
