People in the UK have been told to wear face masks on public transport and in shops

• Brits are told to wear face coverings in public as part of the UK's strategy to ease the lockdown.
• Boris Johnson's government on Tuesday advised people to wear face coverings in enclosed places where social distancing is not always possible, like on public transport and in shops.
• The UK government published its 50-page plan this afternoon.
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Brits should wear face coverings in public spaces where social distancing is not always possible, Boris Johnson's government has announced.

The UK government on Monday confirmed that it was advising people to wear face coverings as part of the country's "road map" out of the coronavirus lockdown.

Up until Monday, the UK government had resisted following governments of other countries which have already advised its people to wear face coverings when outside of their homes.

However, in the government's 50-page plan, titled Our Plan To Rebuild: The UK Government's COVID-19 recovery strategy, published on Monday afternoon, it says: "As more people return to work, there will be more movement outside people's immediate household.

"This increased mobility means the Government is now advising that people should aim to wear a face-covering in enclosed spaces where social distancing is not always possible and they come into contact with others that they do not normally meet, for example on public transport or in some shops."

It says that homemade cloth face-coverings, like scarves, "can help reduce the risk of transmission in some circumstances" by preventing the wearer passing the COVID-19 virus on to those nearby.

The UK government stresses that face coverings are not the same as surgical masks used by doctors and nurses in the National Health Service, and that the latter "must continue to be reserved for those who need it."

Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK's chief scientific advisor, said there had been a "long debate about the efficacy of face coverings" but that coverings can "reduce the probability" of the disease being transmitted by a person.

"The view of SAGE was that there is evidence of a modest effect in terms of someone protecting someone else," he said.

"We know that with this infection, people can have a period before they get symptoms when they can be infections.

"[There are] probably two or three days you don't know you're infectious.

"If we can use a face covering that may reduce the probability of transmitting onwards. we're recommending that people use a face covering on their nose or mouth when they have close contact which they cannot avoid in a closed space."

Transport for London on Monday said face coverings should be worn on all Tubes and buses in order to fight the spread of the coronavirus. Hand sanitizer points will also be installed across London's transport network.

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