Under these new regulations, it is stated that fines of up to £100 will be enforced by police officers for those whole fail to comply, and this fine will be reduced to £50 if paid within 14 days.
Face coverings must cover the mouth and nose at all times.
The guidance on face coverings in England is changing.
From 24 July, it will be mandatory to wear a face covering in shops and supermarkets, as well as on public transport.
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) July 14, 2020
Heath Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed the new regulations and detailed further guidance in parliament yesterday afternoon.
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He stated that masks and face coverings will help to “minimise the risk as we return more to normality”.
“In recent weeks, we have reopened retail and footfall is rising [and] we want to give people more confidence to shop safely, and enhance protections for those who work in shops.” he said.
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“Both of these can be done by the use of face coverings.”
He continued: “We have therefore come to the decision that face coverings should be mandatory in shops and supermarkets.”
As we restore shopping, we must keep shopkeepers safe, & make shoppers feel even more confident about returning to the high street.
We have therefore come to the decision that face coverings should be mandatory in shops & supermarkets. pic.twitter.com/bbk8KGZMUx
“Under the new rules, people who do not wear a face covering will face a fine of up to £100 [and] the liability for wearing a face covering lies with the individual.”
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“Should an individual without an exemption refuse to wear a face covering, a shop can refuse them entry and can call the police if people refuse to comply, the police have the formal enforcement powers and can issue a fine.”
Since mid-May, the public has been advised to wear face coverings in enclosed public spaces where they may encounter people they would not usually meet, and face masks/coverings have been mandatory for passengers travelling by bus, train, ferry or plane in England – as well as in Uber vehicles too – from 15th June.
Matt Hancock confirmed in his parliamentary address yesterday that a number of people will fall into categories which exempt them from wearing a face mask/covering when the new rule takes effect from 24th July.
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He stated that this will be “in line with the sanction on public transport.”
According to official government guidance, the following are exempt from wearing face masks/coverings:
A child under the age of 11.
An employee of the transport operator, when they are acting in the course of their employment.
Any other person providing services to the transport operator, under arrangements made with the transport operator, who is providing those services.
A constable or police community support officer acting in the course of their duty.
An emergency responder, such as a paramedic or fire officer, acting in the course of their duty.
An official, for example, a border force officer, acting in the course of their duties.
If you are allocated a cabin, berth or other similar accommodation, at any time when you are in that accommodation, either alone, or only with members of your own household or a linked household.
If you are onboard public transport but remain in your private vehicle, eg: on a car ferry.
You can read the full statement on face mask/coverings here.
For further information and guidance during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, do ensure you refer to official sources via gov.uk/coronavirus.
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Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
‘The average cost of a pint’ in the UK by region, according to the latest data
Danny Jones
Does it feel like pints keep getting more and more expensive almost every week at this point? Yes. Yes, it does, and while you can’t expect a city as big as Manchester to be one of the cheapest places to get one in the UK, we do often wonder how it compares to other parts of the country.
Well, as it happens, someone has recently crunched the numbers for us across the nation, breaking down which regions pay the most and the least for their pints.
The data has been examined by business management consultancy firm, CGA Strategy, using artificial intelligence and information from the latest Retail Price Index figures to find out what the ‘average cost of a pint’ is down south, up North and everywhere in between.
While the latest statistics provided by the group aren’t granular enough to educate us on Greater Manchester’s pint game exactly, we can show you how our particular geographic region is looking on the leaderboard at the moment.
That’s right, we Mancunians and the rest of the North West are technically joint mid-table when it comes to the lowest average cost of a pint, sharing the places from 3rd to 8th – according to CGA, anyway.
Powered by consumer intelligence company, NIQ (NielsenIQ) – who also use AI and the latest technology to deliver their insights – we can accept it might seem like it’s been a while since you’ve paid that little for a pint, especially in the city centre, but these are the stats they have published.
Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say; unless, of course, they’re trying to rob you blind for a bev. Fortunately, we’ve turned bargain hunting at Manchester bars into a sport at this point.
We might not boast the lowest ‘average’ pint cost in the UK, but we still have some bloody good places to keep drinking affordable.
London tops the charts (pretends to be shocked)
While some of you may have scratched your eyes at the supposed average pint prices here in the North West, it won’t surprise any of you to see that London leads the way when it came to the most expensive pint when it came to average cost in the UK.
To be honest, £5.44 doesn’t just sound cheap but virtually unheard of these days.
CGA has it that the average cost of a beer in the British capital is actually down 15p from its price last September, but as we all know, paying upwards of £7 for a pint down that end of the country is pretty much par for the course the closer you get to London.
Yet more reason you can be glad you live around here, eh? And in case you thought you were leaving this article with very little, think again…