Coronavirus: Protective Clothing

(asked on 15th October 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2020 to Question 94389 on Coronavirus: Protective Clothing, what steps business and public transport operators should take to ensure people required to wear facemasks do so to safeguard the public and employees.


Answered by
Jo Churchill Portrait
Jo Churchill
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This question was answered on 20th October 2020

From 28 September, it became a legal requirement for those sectors where face coverings are required, to display signage or to verbally remind customers and employees, who have a legal obligation to do so, to wear a face covering when on their premises.

While the Government expects the vast majority of people will comply with the rules, as they have done throughout the pandemic, Regulations have been made under the Public Health (Control of Diseases) Act 1984 to give powers to the police and Transport for London officers to enforce the requirement to wear a face covering. Enforcing officers have the ability to issue Fixed Penalty Notices but will use the 4Es approach of engaging, explaining, encouraging and enforcing, only issuing a fine as a last resort.

Advice on face coverings follows advice from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies. We are committed to following the evidence and will keep reviewing evidence from around the world and update our position as and when we need to.

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