Coronavirus news — live: Police say compulsory face masks in shops will be ‘impossible’ to enforce as Leicester lockdown to be reviewed this week

A customer wears a face mask while shopping at a M&S in Islington on July 11, 2020 in London, England: Getty Images
A customer wears a face mask while shopping at a M&S in Islington on July 11, 2020 in London, England: Getty Images

Face coverings will be made mandatory in shops in England from 24 July as part of efforts to reduce the spread of coronavirus, after weeks of mixed messages from the government on their use.

Members of the public will be forced to cover their nose and mouth when they go shopping, with exemptions for children under 11 and those with certain disabilities, or risk a £100 fine – which will be reduced to £50 if it is paid within 14 days. Police officers have warned the requirement will be “nigh-on impossible” to enforce.

It came as health secretary Matt Hancock said Leicester's local lockdown would be reviewed on Thursday, but warned the number of infections in the city area was "still well above the rest of the country".

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