When do face mask rules end?

England’s Plan B measures are to end from next week, with mandatory face coverings in public places and Covid passports two of the biggest mandated restrictions to be dropped.

The news was confirmed by PM Boris Johnson on Wednesday, January 19 as Covid cases continued to fall across the UK, with some hopes that the Omicron wave had peaked.

So, as the rules start to relax again, when will mask wearing no longer be compulsory – and where will you still have to wear one?

Here’s all you need to know.

When do mask wearing rules end?

Face coverings will no longer be legally mandated from Thursday, January 27.

This means that people will not face a legal fine for not wearing a mask in shops and on public transport, or in other indoor entertainment venues.

People are still advised to wear coverings in enclosed or crowded spaces and when meeting strangers.

However Boris Johnson said he ‘would trust the judgment of the British people and no longer criminalise anyone who chooses not to wear one’.

‘As Covid becomes endemic, we will need to replace legal requirements with advice and guidance, urging people with the virus to be careful and considerate of others,’ he told the Commons as he announced the changes.

Some companies have continued to ask for – or enforce – the wearing of face coverings, for example on Transport for London (TfL) tubes, trains and buses.

Mayor Sadiq Khan has said of keeping masks a requirement: ‘If we have learnt anything from this pandemic, it is that we must not get complacent and undo all our hard work and sacrifices. That’s why face coverings will remain a condition of carriage on TfL services.

‘I’m asking everyone in our capital to do the right thing and continue to wear a face covering when travelling on TfL services to keep us all protected and to prevent further restrictions from being necessary later down the line.’

While face coverings are a condition of carriage, Londoners can be turned away from TfL services by enforcement officers, but they will no longer face fines.

From January 27, masks will also no longer be a requirement for secondary school pupils in classrooms.

What are the rules on masks in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?

Face masks will continue to be a requirement in Scotland for the foreseeable future.

Deputy First Minister, John Swinney, said last week that the Scottish Government’s position on face masks had not changed, and that it still believed them to be a required measure to tackle Covid.

Swinney said: ‘The Scottish Government’s position has not changed in the light of the announcement made by the Prime Minister yesterday, either in relation to the wearing of face coverings in crowded public places or on public transport, or in relation to schools.’

The situation is the same in Wales, with the law remaining in place until a review at some point next month.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said he would consider continuing to wear one, even if the advice was that the situation did not require masks by law.

Asked when the law on masks would be changed Mr Drakeford said: ‘We will review it on the 10th of February, because it’s part of those alert level zero measures.’

He added: ‘… I think there will be lots of people who will choose to go on wearing masks because it gives them confidence that they’re keeping themselves safe. I would certainly consider that myself.’

In Northern Ireland, the rules on mask exemptions has been relaxed since January 21.

The requirement to provide proof of exemption from wearing a mask was removed and the reasonable excuse of ‘severe distress’ was reintroduced, essentially meaning businesses should still be encouraging people to wear face coverings but they should not asking for proof of exemption.

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