Welsh Conservatives call for mandatory masks in shops and on public transport

The Welsh Conservative party have called for face coverings to be made mandatory on all public transport and in shops.

Face masks have been required on trains and buses, and any other forms of public transport in England since 15 June.

Anyone not covering their faces can be refused transport and fined £100.

The UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said at the time that the move helped to keep the transport network in England safe.

And now the Conservative Shadow Covid Recovery Minister Darren Millar has called for the mandatory use of face coverings in Wales on public transport and in shops

“We support the mandatory use of face coverings to enable a more flexible approach to social distancing rules in Wales,” Mr Millar said.

“As more people return to work and our high streets get busier, it will become increasingly difficult to maintain and enforce the current two-metre social distancing rules. 

“In recognition of this, the Labour-led Welsh Government must act now to make the use of face coverings mandatory on public transport and for visiting shops.”

What does the World Health Organisation say?

The World Health Organisation recently made a U-turn on wearing masks. 

The United Nations branch previously stated that there wasn’t enough evidence that wearing face coverings helped prevent the spreading of the disease.

But at the start of last month the WHO changed their advice, saying that new information showed they could provide “a barrier for potentially infectious droplets”.

The WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at the time that “[…] in light of evolving evidence, the WHO advises that governments should encourage the general public to wear masks […] as on public transport, in shops or in other confined or crowded environments”.

But the director-general also stressed that wearing a mask was not enough to stem the spread of the virus.

“I cannot say this clearly enough,” said Mr Ghebreyesus, “Masks alone will not protect you from COVID-19.”

What do you think?

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