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This petition was submitted during the 2019 to 2024 Parliament

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Closed Keep requirement to wear a face covering in shops & supermarkets after July 19th

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Keep the legal requirement to wear a face covering in shops & supermarkets after July 19th, until there is a substantial decline in Covid 19 transmission cases and more of the population double-jabbed.

Until the Delta variant was allowed to proliferate in the UK, the battle was being won against Covid 19 but with the recent upsurge in cases, I believe that face coverings should continue to be worn in shops and supermarkets.

I believe that the longer the virus is allowed to circulate, the greater the risk of more variants developing. With this risk, could be an even greater risk of a variant appearing which could render the vaccines useless.

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  • Petition closed

  • Government responded to this petition

    Face coverings are not required but still expected and recommended when in enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces with people you do not usually see, such as shops, which may still encourage their use.

    Read the response in full

    As the four tests have been met, and with over 85% of the adult population now having had at least one dose of a vaccine, the Government has moved England to Step 4 in its Road Map, which means moving away from legal rules to an approach that enables personal, risk-based judgements. The removal of laws requiring the wearing of face coverings in certain settings is part of this transition.

    However, the risks posed by COVID-19 have not completely gone away, and wearing a face covering can still help reduce the risk to others as well as to the wearer themselves. That is why our guidance is clear: the Government recommends and indeed expects that people continue to wear face coverings in indoor spaces where they come into contact with other people they do not normally meet, particularly in situations where the risk of transmission is greater, such as enclosed or crowded spaces or where the ventilation is poor.

    Businesses – including shops and supermarkets – may continue to encourage through signage or even require the use of face coverings, by customers and workers, through their door policy. Businesses have always been free to set their own entry policies, as long as they meet existing legal obligations including under equalities law.

    Department of Health and Social Care

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    This petition got more than 10,000 signatures meaning that government will respond to it.

  • Petition published

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    If this petition gets 10,000 signatures, government will respond to it.

    If this petition gets 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.

    This petition will stay open until 9 January 2022.