Omicron: York council urges people to wear face masks outside

Shoppers in York are being urged to wear a face covering outdoors

People are being urged to wear a face covering in busy outdoor areas in York in an effort to slow the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

City of York Council leader Keith Aspden issued the plea ahead of the busy Christmas shopping season.

His comments came after mask-wearing became mandatory on public transport and in some indoor venues in England on Tuesday.

There have been 22 cases of Omicron detected in the UK.

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Mr Aspden said the authority had already told its staff that infection control measures would be in place until the end of January.

They include working at home where possible, wearing face coverings in council buildings and residents' homes, taking lateral flow tests twice a week, and washing hands regularly.

"Beyond our own staff, we are encouraging residents and visitors to York to wear face coverings in crowded outdoor areas as the Christmas shopping season gets under way," he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

York's annual St Nicholas Fayre, which in 2018 attracted 350,000 people to the city, runs until 23 December.

According to the government: "The best available scientific evidence is that, when used correctly, wearing a face covering may reduce the spread of coronavirus droplets, helping to protect everyone."

Although it offers no formal guidance on wearing masks outdoors, the World Health Organisation said people should wear a mask if they could not maintain physical distance from others.

Examples it gave included busy markets and crowded streets.

The rules introduced by the government also "strongly advised" secondary school pupils and staff to wear face coverings in communal areas of school.

Mr Aspden said: "Many of York's secondary schools have already been encouraging pupils to wear face coverings in communal areas."

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