Covid: Britons who refuse to wear a mask face fines of £200

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NS

Ritons who refuse to wear a face mask could face fines of £200 as the government tightens Covid restrictions to contain the Omicron variant, according to a report.

Boris Johnson announced on Saturday that face coverings will again become mandatory in stores and on public transport to curb the spread of the new strain.

According to The Telegraph, those who refuse to wear a mask will face an initial fine of £200. This could go up to £400 for a second offense and £800 for a third.

Anyone who repeatedly violates the mask-wearing rules could face a maximum cost of £6,400.

The newspaper reported that a change to the regulations will be brought up in the House of Commons on Monday before the rules go into effect on Tuesday.

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The system will remain the same during the third national lockdown. For those who pay their first fine within 14 days, the fee will be halved to £100.

However, the rules for covering the face will not apply to the hospitality sector or to concerts, cinemas and theatres.

Health Minister Sajid Javid said the measures were proportionate given the threat of the Omicron variant, which scientists fear may be more transmissible and vaccine-resistant.

“Doing it in this proportional way where public transportation, retail outlets, I think is the right level of response to masks,” he told Sky News.

“It’s going to be through government regulations and that means, I think, people are going to take it seriously.”

Mr Javid claimed that tougher rules would make Britons take the threat of the virus “more seriously”. The rules will be revised within three weeks.

Train managers have warned that train workers fear they will be left to deal with angry travelers who refuse to wear masks.

“We support the wearing of masks but there are major issues with enforcement and our members are left on the front lines with angry commuters refusing to comply,” said Mick Lynch, Secretary General of the Rail, Maritime and Transportation Federation.

James Loman, chief executive of the Convenience Store Association, said retailers are “extremely concerned about abuse against their employees” from customers who don’t want to wear a face covering in a store.

The tightening of measures comes after a third case of the Omicron variant was discovered on Sunday. The person is said to have traveled to Westminster in central London while contracting the infection.

This brings the total number of Omicron’s cases to three, after two cases were detected in Essex and Nottinghamshire on Saturday.

The Ministry of Health has been contacted for comment.

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