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Matt Hancock has said there are no plans to make facial coatings mandatory for office workers in England.
The health secretary told BBC Breakfast that people who work in offices would not need to cover themselves, despite a newspaper report suggesting they would.
“It’s something we’ve seen and rejected,” he said, but added that the public would wear masks elsewhere “for the foreseeable future.”
Facial coatings in stores will be mandatory in England on July 24.
Scotland already requires buyers to cover their faces, while Wales and Northern Ireland are weighing similar policies.
Hancock said the coatings helped prevent spread during short interactions with strangers, but that social distancing and handwashing were more effective for contact with people over long periods of time.
There is a difference between visiting a store for a few minutes and working with colleagues at a desk for several hours, he said.
“When you’re around someone you have to work closely with, if you’re there for a long time with them, then a mask doesn’t offer that protection.”
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Cabinet ministers Liz Truss and Michael Gove appeared to take different approaches to dealing with covers on Tuesday.
“The same logic applies to schools: We are not recommending masks for schools because if you are in a classroom with children all day, then a mask does not protect you,” he added.
Hancock said facial coatings were effective “in a store or on public transportation, for example, when you’re with someone for a reasonable time, a few minutes, but not all day.”
“The point is, when you interact with people you’re not normally with, that’s where the mask can be particularly helpful.”
He added: “We are not proposing to extend masks to offices.”
Mr. Hancock’s comments came when a council in Blackburn, Lancashire told residents to wear face shields while in all public settings while working to combat a “rising tide” of coronavirus cases.
Professor Dominic Harrison, Blackburn with Darwen’s director of public health, said he hoped the use of toppings along with other specific measures would prevent a local Leicester-style closure in the area.
Leicester was subject to the UK’s first local shutdown on July 4 following an increase in Covid-19 cases. There are limits on social gatherings and the reopening of hotels, pubs and restaurants has not been allowed.
Meanwhile, questions continue to be asked about the use of masks by politicians.
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Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today show, Hancock said he was “not frankly interested” in the photographs showing apparent differences in the use of face covers by cabinet ministers.
Images from Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove showed him without covering his face while shopping for food at a Pret branch on Tuesday, while Commerce Secretary Liz Truss was seen in the same store minutes later with a bright blue mask.
Hancock said: “Those photographs were taken before announcing the policy change to the House of Commons yesterday afternoon.
“And it is absolutely simple that from July 24 it is mandatory to wear a mask in the store in the same way that it is mandatory on public transport and on the NHS.”
Hancock said the public needed to get used to wearing face covers in stores and on NHS facilities “for the foreseeable future.”
“People have to do their part,” he said.
‘Wear masks now’
It occurs when residents and visitors to York are told to “wear masks now” before they become mandatory for shoppers on July 24.
Health officials in the historic city said there was “growing evidence of the value of wearing face covers.”
Starting July 24, those who do not comply with the new rules on the use of face covers in England stores will face a fine of up to £ 100.
Children under the age of 11, those with certain disabilities, and people who work in stores will be exempt.
Hancock told the Commons on Tuesday that the new rule “would give people more confidence to shop safely and improve protections for those who work in stores.”
The use of masks has been mandatory on public transport in England and at NHS facilities across the UK since June 15.
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