UK News 'Flu world order': Anti-mask activists protest order to wear face coverings

They say they are not "anti-masks" but "pro-choice", and their choice is not to wear a mask.

© Other Demonstrators gathered in Hyde Park without masks

Come Friday, it will be mandatory to wear a face mask or covering in shops and supermarkets in England as part of public health policy to tackle COVID-19. Those who do not could be fined up to £100.

© Other They carried signs urging others to 'spread love not fear'

But the 100 or so people who gathered in Hyde Park on Sunday view the coronavirus legislation as a crackdown on our civil liberties.

Do face coverings help reduce coronavirus transmission?

It will soon be mandatory to wear face coverings in supermarkets and other shops in England. Starting on July 24, those going shopping need to have their nose and mouth covered or risk a £100 fine.This comes after rules requiring people to wear face coverings on public transport became mandatory last month.Initially many experts and authorities, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), suggested face coverings were not effective in preventing the spread of coronavirus but are now recommending wearing them in indoor spaces.

Browse a wide selection of protest masks and face coverings available in various fabrics and configurations, made by a community of small business-owners.

ANTI - mask protesters hoped to make a statement by wearing mesh face coverings that don't A protester holds up a sign protesting wearing a mask at the Texas State Capital building on April Breath free while making a statement.” Walmart will require customers to wear face masks to stop

None wore masks and there was no attempt to maintain social distancing. Instead people hugged for photos in front of placards willing others to "spread love not fear".

It was organised by a group called Keep Britain Free. There were pensioners, families, and babies. They huddled together to hear speakers citing research they claimed was proof of the ineffectiveness of masks in preventing the spread of COVID-19.

It was largely good-tempered, but there were some who saw us as a target, since we were wearing masks. Two women with a baby accused me of pushing a government agenda designed to maintain order and keep the public living in fear.

Clare Wills-Harrison, one of the organisers, said the demonstrators were "campaigning for the return of our rights and liberties".

Employment crisis builds as 649,000 lose their jobs during lockdown

Official data suggests almost two-thirds of a million UK workers have lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic amid fears an employment crisis exceeding that of the 1980s is looming. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed data showing that 649,000 people left company payrolls between March and June - covering the economy's enforced hibernation to limit the spread of COVID-19.The figures, taken from HM Revenue and Customs, showed 74,000 fewer people on the PAYE register during June compared to the previous month.

But the Anti - Mask League complained bitterly that an obligation to cover one’s nose and mouth was A police officer wearing a flu mask leads two men away from the Ferry building in San Francisco in “He said it was quite clear from the epidemiological evidence: when people across the world were

Hundreds of people gathered in London on Sunday to protest against the wearing of face masks , days before it becomes mandatory to wear face coverings in stores in England.

"The imposition of masks sixteen weeks after the pandemic is absolutely ludicrous and does not make scientific sense," she said, adding: "We're talking about many other issues, not just masks, it's not just that."

© Other The demonstrators claim the restrictions challenge civil liberties

The government believes the use of face masks in shops will give people confidence to spend money. These protesters insist the opposite is true.

They also say the World Health Organisation is wrong in its belief that face masks could provide a barrier for potentially infectious droplets.

"There's many conflicting scientific views about the efficacy of masks," Ms Wills-Harrison claimed.

"The World Health Organisation have changed their minds several times, as have the CDC," she added, referencing the US Centre for Disease Control.

The World Health Organisation, and subsequently public health authorities around the world, changed its guidance regarding the wearing of face masks in June, doing so in line with developing scientific evidence, it said.

Public must wear face coverings in sandwich shops – Government

New regulations, which are enforceable by the police, are due to be set out on Thursday afternoon. The same exemptions as for public transport will apply, with children under 11 and people with breathing problems not required to wear a covering.Anyone who cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering because of a physical or mental illness or impairment or disability is also exempt.The public are advised to wash their hands before putting a covering or mask on or taking it off, and to avoid touching their eyes, nose, or mouth while wearing one.

Anti -maskers have doubled down in their crusade by blasting claims that face coverings are vital to stop another lockdown as 'utter claptrap'. The Government's new mandatory ruling that face masks must be worn inside shops has provoked a heated debate between pro and anti -maskers.

Anti - mask protesters are trying to commandeer US disability laws to get into stores without face coverings . Some Americans are trying to dodge orders by businesses or local governments to wear face coverings by claiming immunity under laws written to protect the rights of disabled people.

The UK government followed suit, stating that although the evidence around wearing a face covering suggests it "does not protect you" from coronavirus, it could "provide some protection for others you come into close contact with".

The idea is that if we were all to wear face masks we would protect each other and thus ourselves.

The evidence of coverings preventing the spread of infection from one person to another is "marginal but positive", according to the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies that is advising the government.

Those who share the demonstrators' views are adamant they are in the right. But judging by the numbers in Hyde Park on Sunday, they are also very much in the minority.

So there is no sign yet of a culture war in Britain around the use of face masks.

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