A symbol of the pandemic and an emotive flashpoint in the debate over Covid-19 restrictions, face masks are set to start coming off in England as most curbs are lifted on Monday’s long-awaited “Freedom Day”.
The end of mask requirements from July 19 under a new credo of “personal responsibility” is the most contentious part of the government’s unlocking plan.
While many people will be happy to ditch the face coverings, critics of the new policy say it actually limits freedom for vulnerable people who will go out of their way to avoid the maskless.
Dr Julia Faulconbridge, a member of the British Psychological Society’s Division of Psychology, said seeing bare-faced strangers would cause alarm for many people accustomed to wearing masks.
“For most people, it’s actually become a habit,” she told The National. “So why are we trying to break that habit when we know that it is one of the best things that we have to keep the pandemic under control?
“It’s not just people who personally feel vulnerable who are feeling it’s not going to be safe any more, it’s the people who understand their responsibility to other vulnerable people who are saying that as well.”
Prof Robert Dingwall, a member of the government’s advisory group on virus threats, said the fear of the virus that people had developed over the past 18 months would continue to drive mask uptake.
“A lot of the debate that we’ve seen over the past week or so is really reflective of the levels of fear and anxiety,” he said.
“The levels of emotion that we’ve seen are really bound up with the psychological rather than the epidemiological issues.”
Under pressure from scientists alarmed by the third wave of infections, ministers are still advising the use of masks even as legal mandates are lifted.
The government line is that people are “expected and recommended” to keep wearing masks in crowded places such as train carriages.
Businesses and local authorities are free to go further, with London mayor Sadiq Khan announcing this week that masks would remain compulsory on the capital’s transport network.
Supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Asda all say they will ask shoppers to keep wearing masks.
Dr Faulconbridge expects that many people will continue to wear masks even where there is no requirement.
She said young people could be influenced by peer pressure, either towards maintaining masks or abandoning them.
“Teenagers and young people are more prone to do things because that’s what their friends are doing, and therefore they might want to continue to wear a mask,” she said.
“But if everybody else isn’t and they start to make jokes about it, then it’s very hard to continue.”
Like other countries, the UK scrambled to buy masks for health workers when the pandemic erupted but initially downplayed their effectiveness for others.
Fears were raised that wearing a mask would foster a false sense of security and reduce compliance with other measures.
The advice later changed and masks became compulsory on public transport last June, and in shops and supermarkets last July.
Fines for failing to wear a mask were eventually raised to a maximum of £6,400 ($8,860) for repeat offenders.
A University of Bristol study last month produced results that mask-wearing could cut transmission by about 25 per cent if widely adopted.
Research suggests that masks may be useful only if a high percentage of people wear them.
Many scientists see masks as a trivial inconvenience but others are concerned about their effects on social interaction and the welfare of children.
Health chiefs are piloting a transparent face mask which could reduce issues around communicating with others.
Dr Faulconbridge pointed out that those who have physical or mental difficulties with wearing masks are already exempt from covering their faces.
The exemptions allow people to take off a mask if asked to do so in a shop or a bank, where they have traditionally been frowned upon for fear of robberies.
But Prof Dingwall is among those voicing concern about the long-term effects of masks.
He said the government should send a more reassuring tone and stress that many spaces are safe.
“Masks are essentially there as a symbol to say, 'be afraid of other people, be afraid every time you set foot outside your house',” he said.
“They are really quite destructive to society in the long run. Human societies are built on face-to-face interaction.”
The biog
Fatima Al Darmaki is an Emirati widow with three children
She has received 46 certificates of appreciation and excellence throughout her career
She won the 'ideal mother' category at the Minister of Interior Awards for Excellence
Her favourite food is Harees, a slow-cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled wheat berries mixed with chicken
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
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7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
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9.30pm: Forever Young
How Voiss turns words to speech
The device has a screen reader or software that monitors what happens on the screen
The screen reader sends the text to the speech synthesiser
This converts to audio whatever it receives from screen reader, so the person can hear what is happening on the screen
A VOISS computer costs between $200 and $250 depending on memory card capacity that ranges from 32GB to 128GB
The speech synthesisers VOISS develops are free
Subsequent computer versions will include improvements such as wireless keyboards
Arabic voice in affordable talking computer to be added next year to English, Portuguese, and Spanish synthesiser
Partnerships planned during Expo 2020 Dubai to add more languages
At least 2.2 billion people globally have a vision impairment or blindness
More than 90 per cent live in developing countries
The Long-term aim of VOISS to reach the technology to people in poor countries with workshops that teach them to build their own device
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
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The specs
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Transmission: 9-speed auto
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Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
SPECS
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GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
The biog
Favourite film: Motorcycle Dairies, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Kagemusha
Favourite book: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Holiday destination: Sri Lanka
First car: VW Golf
Proudest achievement: Building Robotics Labs at Khalifa University and King’s College London, Daughters
Driverless cars or drones: Driverless Cars
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The bio
Favourite vegetable: Broccoli
Favourite food: Seafood
Favourite thing to cook: Duck l'orange
Favourite book: Give and Take by Adam Grant, one of his professors at University of Pennsylvania
Favourite place to travel: Home in Kuwait.
Favourite place in the UAE: Al Qudra lakes