Rejected petition Revoke the legislation which makes the wearing of face masks compulsory
We believe, given the controversial and conflicting scientific evidence regarding the usefulness of face masks, that it is an infringement on our liberties to be forced to wear one in public. Whilst we have no issue with them being encouraged, making it a legal requirement is unjustified.
More details
In only March, Professor Chris Witty, the government’s Chief Medical Officer, told U.K. citizens that wearing a face mask had “almost no effect on reducing the risk of contracting the illness”. He went on to say “wearing a mask if you don’t have an infection reduces the risk almost not at all. So we do not advise that”. Therefore, we believe that making face masks compulsory is not based on sound scientific evidence and will have a significant negative impact on people’s mental health.
This petition was rejected
Why was this petition rejected?
There’s already a petition about this issue. We cannot accept a new petition when we already have one about a very similar issue.
You are more likely to get action on this issue if you sign and share a single petition.
You may wish to sign some of these petitions:
Don't make the wearing of face masks compulsory in public places in England: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/331174
Repeal the decision to implement compulsory face coverings in English shops: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/331430
Make the use of masks on public transport voluntary and not mandatory: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/325079
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
The Government has also created an online service to help you find out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips
You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/
You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/192/the-governments-response-to-coronavirus/
We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.