The right-wingers against them are on the wrong side of public opinion.
The vast majority of the UK public think that wearing masks in shops and on public transport is important, a poll has revealed.
Around 87% of those polled said wearing masks was important while just 10% said the opposite.
When asked if wearing masks in shops should be mandatory, 67% said ‘yes’ while just 13% said ‘no.
The UK government has made wearing masks in English shops mandatory from 24th July. The Scottish government made them mandatory in Scotland on 10th July.
These decisions have been criticised by some right-wing MPs and commentators. Tory backbencher Desmond Swayne called it a “monstrous imposition”.
The former political editor of the Sunday Times Isabel Oakeshott compared masks to “muzzles” and said they should be voluntary.
Sunday Times columnist Camilla Long complained about “facemask Nazis” and said wearing masks was part of the “Great covid dementia”.
Peter Hitchens and Toby Young have also said face masks should not be mandatory. Hitchens called them “muzzles” and Young called them “face nappies”.
Joe Lo is a co-editor of Left Foot Forward
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