Do we have to wear masks, and will the NHS be able to cope?

Q Have people started wearing masks again? A

The majority of Britons say they are still wearing face masks. But the numbers are at a record low, with 82 per cent of people in England, Scotland, and Wales saying they have worn a face covering outside their home in the past week, according to the Office for National Statistics.

On the week of ‘Freedom Day’ in July, when all restrictions were lifted, the figure was 95 per cent.

The same data set shows fewer people are wearing face masks now than at any point since they became mandatory in shops and supermarkets in July 2020.

The number of people working from home is also decreasing.

Three-quarters of British working adults are now travelling to work, compared with just a third back in January.

However, NHS leaders are now calling for both mask-wearing and working from home to be introduced again – along with vaccine passports – to slow the rapid rise in Covid cases.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid has also urged people to ‘think about others around them’ and wear face masks, though he ruled out making them mandatory in public.

Q How does the scale of the UK’s epidemic now compare with the situation in January? A

Covid cases are now higher than they were in January, with more than 50,000 new infections being reported a day.

And on Friday, the UK saw more than 1,000 new daily Covid hospitalisations for the first time in six weeks. During the January peak, hospitalisations were at roughly 4,500 daily, with daily deaths reaching 1,300.

But according to the Government scientific advisory group SAGE, it is ‘highly unlikely’ the NHS will be overwhelmed by the virus this winter. According to a report on Friday, the group estimated that daily Covid hospital admissions in England would not rise above 1,500 a day this winter.

The key difference is the disparity in the rate at which hospitalisations and deaths are increasing.

In January, figures were climbing significantly every day. Now the increase is far more gradual – meaning that Ministers have more time to act. SAGE experts are confident that at the current rate of infections, the NHS will be able to handle the pressure.