THE Royal Borough’s health chief will ‘continue’ to wear a face mask post-Freedom Day – but thinks it’s “not unreasonable” for it to be an advisory to relieve pressure on police.

Mandatory face mask wearing, and social distancing will end from July 19 as Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the final easing of lockdown restrictions despite rising cases across the country.

Despite masks no longer being a legal requirement after ‘Freedom Day’, Mr Johnson and his scientific advisors, Prof Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance advised the public to keep wearing masks in crowded and enclosed spaces.

Slough Observer: PABest A man is issued with a fine for not being in possession of and not wearing a face mask by a TfL Transport Support and Enforcement Officer in the presence of a British Transport Police officer at King's Cross underground station, London. (PA)PABest A man is issued with a fine for not being in possession of and not wearing a face mask by a TfL Transport Support and Enforcement Officer in the presence of a British Transport Police officer at King's Cross underground station, London. (PA)

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), councillor Stuart Carroll, lead member for health, said he will continue to wear a face mask after the final stage of the roadmap, saying it’s a “wise and sensible” thing to do to minimise the risk of spreading the virus.

But Cllr Carroll, who is also an epidemiologist and on the UK vaccine taskforce, added it’s “not unreasonable” for the government to make it no longer legally binding to relieve pressure off the police and focus on other public protection initiatives.

He said: “When you have something that is law and is mandatory, it requires the police to also allocate significant amounts of their resources to enforcement and I know from speaking to our local police, and this is reflected nationally, a huge amount of resources and effort has gone into upholding the guidance, which was absolutely right.

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“Do we really want our police constantly day in and day out seeking to enforce something that I think the emphasis has to be placed on personal and social responsibility because there is a massive opportunity cost to the police on having to enforce these kinds of restrictions and the police have a huge amount on their plate in terms of their day-to-day role – but also ensuring some of the publics additional concerns around organised crime, criminal activity, anti-social behaviour, and a high police presence on the streets, which the public has demanded.

“So, you have to balance these things and I think it’s not unreasonable to place it as a public health, a clinical advisory guideline that’s emphasised quite emphatically without necessary continuing it as a mandatory law.”

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However, Cllr Carroll believed the government may need to look at making it mandatory for face masks to be worn on public transport because it is a “high-risk area” for the virus to spread.

After Cllr Carroll spoke to the LDRS, London Mayor Sadiq Khan made it compulsory for commuters taking the underground to wear face masks.