No longer a legal requirement to wear face coverings

As of Thursday 27th January there is no longer a legal requirement to wear face coverings. However many business owners and shoppers still prefer to wear them.

The UK Government say. "Choosing to wear a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces can help to stop the spread of COVID-19".

Sainsbury's, John Lewis, Waitrose and Morrisons to name but a few still require their customers to wear face masks where possible.

Wayne Grills at Pizza Planet in Kingsbridge stated,"Although no longer law: If you can we will definitely welcome masks being worn by customers. We continue to encourage face coverings in store. We're almost there, let's keep going".

Cases remain high in the South Hams (in fact as I write this two people in my own household have Covid 19). Between 24 January 2022 and 30 January 2022 923 people had a confirmed positive test result. This shows an increase of 12.4% compared to the previous 7 days. In the same time period there have been 5 deaths in the South Hams within 28 days of a positive Covid test result.

So while it may no longer be a legal requirement to wear face coverings do keep an eye out for signage prompting mask wearing in local establishments. Putting health worries aside, the legal requirement to isolate has in the past lead to temporary closures and shortened opening hours in many local businesses.