This petition was submitted during the 2019-2024 parliament
Rejected petition Stricter guidelines for those who are exempt from wearing a face covering.
Due to the number of people claiming they can’t use a face covering, the government should issue an official exemption based on individual medical evidence. Having spent the last 4 months shielding, it is important that as many people are using face coverings and social distancing whilst we are out.
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If an official system is in place then it will provide support to businesses when it comes to refusing entry to those not complying. It is very easy for someone to say the can’t wear any sort of covering and not been challenged. For the safety of people, a system needs to be put in place to prevent accusations of discrimination. We are in the middle of a pandemic and this virus does not discriminate. With shielding being paused, these measures need tighter guidelines to protect everyone.
This petition was rejected
Why was this petition rejected?
It’s not clear what the petition is asking the UK Government or Parliament to do.
People do not need to wear a face covering if they have a legitimate reason to, and the Government's guidance on face coverings sets out a range of reasons that this includes: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own#exemptions-to-wearing-a-face-covering-where-they-are-mandated
It is not clear if your petition is about all exemptions from wearing face coverings, or just exemptions for medical reasons.
You could start a petition calling on the Government to only exempt people from the requirement to wear a face covering in shops on medical grounds, certified by a doctor, if that is what you want to happen.
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.