The UK government has said that they are not considering making the wearing of face masks compulsory in offices and workplaces
It comes as France has ruled that face coverings must be worn in the majority of workplaces in the country following a surge in cases of COVID-19.
“We constantly look at the scientific advice, and the answer here is that we are not currently considering doing that,” said Mr Hancock.
Currently, face coverings are only required in some indoor settings in the UK.
For example, they are compulsory for customers in shops in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, but not for staff.
They are also required for anyone travelling on public transport anywhere in the UK.
This comes after it was suggested that Croatia, Greece and Turkey could be joining the UK’s travel quarantine list after the countries have recorded rises in the coronavirus cases within the countries.
Earlier this week, France announced that starting on the 1st September masks would be mandatory in all shared areas within offices and factories where there is would be more than one worker present.
Masks are also compulsory within some of the busier outdoor areas in Paris and other large cities in France.
Asked about whether or not the UK would follow France and introduce masks in workplaces, the UK’s Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, said that it was not being considered.
“And the reason is that the evidence from NHS Test and Trace for where people catch the disease is that, very largely, they catch it from one household meeting another household, usually in one of their homes.”
“And so it’s that household transmission that is the core root of passing on this virus in this country.”
“The amount of people who have caught it in workplaces is relatively low, we think, from the evidence we’ve got.”
This comes after the way the UK government counts up how many people in England have died from COVID-19 will be changing amid concerns that the previous system that was in place is “misleading”. Figures for England will now be coming into line with the rest of the UK nations by imposing a 28-day cut off period for counting coronavirus-related fatalities.
This comes as the UK government announced on Wednesday that a further 16 people had died with the virus, taking the UK’s total to 41,397.
These are deaths recorder for any reason within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test.
There is currently no universal rule in the country for workers to wear face masks at work throughout the UK. However, the government has set out some guidance for specific industries.
For example, hairdressers and beauticians have been advised to cover their faces with mask or face shields because it’s harder to socially distance with their customers.
Staff that work in shops and other indoor settings will not be required to wear face coverings, however, the government suggests that businesses “consider their use where appropriate”.
