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England has reintroduced mask mandates as the Omicron variant spreads — and I felt safer than I have in monthshttps://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/england-has-reintroduced-mask-mandates-as-the-omicron-variant-spreads-x2014-and-i-felt-safer-than-i-have-in-months/slidelist/88036735.cms2021-12-01T23:11:03+05:30

England has reintroduced mask mandates as the Omicron variant spreads — and I felt safer than I have in months

Grace DeanDec 1, 2021, 23:11 IST

I went shopping in Leeds, a large city in northern England, on Tuesday – the day that the country reintroduced a mask mandate amid the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

After more than four months without a government-mandated mask requirement, people now have to wear masks in shops and shopping centres, in transport hubs, and on public transport, unless exempt.

A large sign at Leeds train station reminded passengers that they needed to wear masks again.

I had to take three trains that day, and a lot of people wore masks ...

... but it seemed like a a lot of people didn't realize that the mandate applied to the train station, too.

This could have partly been because the station is in a very large, open building, which made it feel well ventilated.

Some shoppers walking round the city center wore masks, but most didn't.

The same was true of the shopping center I went to.

Again, this could have been because of the high ceilings which made the mall seem like it was open air. Aside from protection from the weather, you could barely tell that you were indoors.

Signs on a lot of the stores reminded shoppers to don their masks. At the Marks and Spencers I went to, a customer made a beeline straight for the checkouts to ask whether they had any disposable face masks available for free because she had forgotten that the mask mandate was being reintroduced.

Around half of the stores didn't have signs reminding customers about the new rules ...

... while others just had signs telling people to stay home if they had any symptoms of the coronavirus.

Somewhat surprisingly, the government's new mask rules don't apply to venues like cinemas, libraries, and places of worship — and therefore, remain optional. This is despite the fact that people spend long periods there and often come into contact with others.

The government does, however, encourage people to wear masks in places "which are crowded and enclosed and where you may come into contact with people you do not normally meet," without requiring it.

The government has kept changing England's mask, lockdown, and social-distancing rules during the pandemic. Because of this, they've been a headache for some people to follow.

The government had removed England's mask mandate on July 19, meaning that people were no longer required to wear masks in stores and on public transport.

But many individual transport providers set their own mask policies, and I always wore mine while travelling.

Transport for London, for example, has been mandating that people wear masks, including on the Tube.

And Nexus, which operates the Tyne and Wear Metro in North-East England, mandated face masks, though most passengers didn't wear them when I rode on its subways. I've travelled on trains frequently throughout the pandemic, and noticed less than a quarter of passengers on public transport wearing masks.

This included a train between Manchester and Leeds that I traveled on on Sunday, just two days before the mandate was reintroduced. The train was horrifically overcrowded due to an earlier cancellation, and we were rammed in like sardines, but very few passengers wore masks, even though the transport provider had asked people to wear them.

After the government lifted the mask mandate in July, many stores, meanwhile, replaced their signs mandating masks with ones instead saying things like: "Customers are still welcome to wear masks." Some did wear masks, but many didn't.

This British grocer, for example, had signs encouraging shoppers to wear masks "if you can."

But England has brought back its mask mandate after the UK identified its first cases of the Omicron variant last week. It's also reintroducing testing mandates for international travelers.

The US has also restricted travel from some African countries and is moving to require all international travelers to produce negative COVID-19 tests. The head of the NIH has also recommended that people wear face masks amid fears of the Omicron variant.

In comparison to lockdowns, curfews, and border closures, mask mandates have very few economic impacts. Businesses can stay open and people can behave largely as usual, but they just have to wear a mask.

And wearing a face mask is one of the most effective ways of reducing the spread of the coronavirus.

I was really relieved that the mask mandate was reintroduced, and when I went shopping in Leeds city center and rode on the train I felt safer than I have done in months.

Leeds city center on the day England reintroduced a mask mandate.

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