Shoppers and commuters in England asked to wear masks despite lifting of plan B

theguardian.com:

Legal measures requiring masks and Covid passes in England have been dropped, but shoppers and commuters in some settings will still be asked to wear face coverings.

Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, said the success of the vaccine programme, coupled with a better understanding of treatment for the virus, is “allowing us to cautiously return to plan A, restoring more freedoms to this country”.

From Thursday, face coverings are not required by law in any setting, while a legal requirement for NHS Covid passes for entry to venues such as nightclubs has been scrapped.

As the focus moves away from legal measures, the prime minister’s official spokesperson, when asked about masks, said it will now be “a matter of personal judgment”.

Public health guidance urging people to wear a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces if coming into contact with strangers will remain in place, the government said.

It said organisations will be able to choose if they will require Covid passes from those visiting their venues.

The latest rolling back of restrictions follows the dropping of the work from home guidance last week, and advice for face coverings in classrooms for staff and pupils being scrapped.

From Thursday, the Department for Education has also removed national guidance on the use of face coverings in communal areas of educational settings.

Mr Javid said: “Our vaccines, testing and antivirals ensure we have some of the strongest defences in Europe and are allowing us to cautiously return to plan A, restoring more freedoms to this country.

“As we learn to live with Covid, we need to be clear-eyed that this virus is not going away so if you haven’t already – please come forward for your first, second or booster jab.”

While the scrapping of