Sadiq Khan and Health Secretary Javid Stick to Masks Despite England Mask Mandate Scrapped

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 27: London Mayor Sadiq Khan gestures as he wears a face mask during
Photo by Hollie Adams/Getty Images
Nathaniel Charles

The Mayor of London and the British Health Secretary have both pledged to continue wearing masks in public and Sadiq Khan will still require Londoners to wear a mask on the tube regardless of the national mask mandate being lifted.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on the 19th of January 2022 that after looking “at the data carefully” the government has decided the mask mandate in England would be coming to an end shortly, and the government will “no longer criminalise anyone who chooses not to wear one”.

Despite the government declaring the science suggests masks are becoming obsolete, the leftist Mayor of London Sadiq Khan will still require Londoners to wear a mask on all Transport for London services, including trains, tubes and busses.

Posting on Twitter, Khan told Londoners: “Reminder: wearing a face covering is still mandatory on all TfL services unless you’re exempt. I’ll wear mine when I’m out and about. Please continue to wear yours”.

In another tweet, Khan told Londoners “If we have learnt anything from this pandemic, it is that we must not get complacent and undo all our hard work and sacrifices”.

Londoner’s will be somewhat relieved to hear the Khan does not have the legal authority to continue fining Londoners for not wearing a face covering on TfL services. In the period of the 30th of November 2021 to January 2022, Khan’s administration issued 1,552 people who refused to wear a mask on Transport for London services with £200 fines.

However, Khan has instructed TfL to refuse entry to or ask individuals to leave if they are not wearing a mask, which he does have the ability to do thanks to the railway bylaws he controls.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid, like Khan, will continue to wear a coronavirus mask. Speaking to BBC Breakfast on the 20th of January 2022 Javid said: “Will I be wearing a facemask? Yeah, I think I probably would be in a week’s time. Because prevalence is still high”.

Surprisingly, Javid also seemingly supported Khan’s decision to keep mask requirements on Transport for London in place, despite the two politicians being in rival parties, and the Conservative government ruling it unnecessary. “I think it will be sensible [to wear a mask] on the Tube in London, for example”, Javid said.

Javid did however repeat the government’s message that people going forward should “make their own personal judgement” as “we do in fighting the flu”.

The Health Secretary also commented that he didn’t “think it can be right to keep rules in place that require people to do things like wear face masks and stuff without reviewing them and understanding that sometimes they need to go”.

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