‘People should have been wearing them all the time’ – Shoppers in Sunderland city centre have their say on the reintroduction of masks

In a series of announcements over the weekend, the Government confirmed that face coverings will be mandatory once more on public transport, in shops and in other settings including banks, post offices and hairdressers – with the rule coming into force at 4am on Tuesday, November 30.

It follows cases of the new Omicron variant of Covid being detected within the UK as the Prime Minister warned that it could reduce the effectiveness of vaccines.

Boris Johnson described the reintroduction of measures as “temporary and precautionary” and are set to be reviewed in three weeks.

Shoppers in Sunderland city centre on Tuesday, November 30, have been having their say on the reintroduction of mask wearing

Fred Atkinson from Barnes believes that everyone should just follow the rules as a way of easing the new restrictions faster.

The 62-year-old said: I think it should be compulsory, if everybody wore a mask then we could give rid of Covid quicker.

"Everyone should just abide by the rules and go for it, we’ve got nothing to lose.”

When commenting on the emergence of the new variant, his wife Christine commented that all people can do is be as safe as possible.

The 58-year-old charity worker added: “We’ve had our boosters so what more can you do?

"You’ve got to do the best you can washing your hands, wearing masks and just being as safe as you possibly can.”

Despite the Government acting quickly to reintroduce certain measures such as masks, Pauline Cowans believes that they don’t go far enough and that masks should always have been mandatory.

The 65-year-old, from South Hylton, commented: “I think that people should have been wearing them all the time, not just now.

"I really think the one thing that Government has not been up to scratch on is making people wear masks and I think we should be socially distancing still.”

Her husband John revealed that most people were compiling with the rules on Tuesday however there are still some who are not.

He added: “The majority in shops are wearing masks but there are plenty in the shops who are not.

"It just seems like a lot of the staff in the shops just don’t seem to want to know.”

Aunt and niece Mary Walsh, 68, and Lynne Davison, 54, from the East End were out shopping, with Mary saying that people wearing masks makes her feel safer.

She said: “I think they should have always been mandatory, especially as it feels safer in shops and public transport.”

Lynne expressed her worries to the Echo about the Omicron variant, highlighting that it could possibly lead to further restrictions, such as another lockdown, if the spread isn’t stopped.

She commented: “I’m a bit worried about it as I think that this new variant could potentially cause another lockdown.”

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