People attending churches or other places of worship from tomorrow will have to wear a face mask – but will bizarrely be allowed to take it off to sing, it has emerged.

An exemption for ‘bonkers,’ which was confirmed today, has caused confusion. There are concerns that singing could increase the risk of Covid-19 spreading by moving droplets farther.

It means families who attend Christmas services in the coming weeks can remove their faces while they sing festive carols.  

According to the new rules, shoppers will technically be allowed in supermarkets to take off their masks if they are singing.

As part of Plan B, the Prime Minister passed last night. Face covers will now be required in all public indoor venues starting tomorrow.

Parents and teachers from Fulham Boys School sing a hymn during their Christmas carol service at St Paul's Church in London on Monday - with some wearing masks and others not

Fulham Boys School parents and teachers sing a Christmas hymn at St Paul’s Church London’s carol service on Monday. Some people wear masks, while others don’t.

This includes theatres, cinemas and places for worship. However, these venues do not include bars, gyms or restaurants. You can use masks in public transportation and shops.

Boris Johnson stated during the Downing Street press conference that singing would be exempted. More details are now available.

You will need a mask for certain places. 

Tomorrow, will facemasks be mandatory in all parts of the world?

Tomorrow, the public and employees in public areas will have to use these types of face covers.

  • Community centres include village halls, youth centres, members clubs or social clubs
  • Libraries and public reading areas
  • Locations and polling stations used to count votes
  • Places of worship
  • Crematoria and burial ground chapels
  • Visitors attractions and entertainment venues: museums, galleries and cinemas; indoor theatres and concert halls; cultural and heritage sites; indoor areas at aquariums, visitor farms, and zoos. Bingo halls, snooker, pool halls. Amusement arcades. Adventure Activity Centres. Indoor sports stadiums. indoor theme parks. casinos. skating rinks. bowling alleys.
  • Public areas of hostels and hotels
  • Indoor areas in sports stadiums

Do you have any face masks that aren’t already required?

Public and public-facing staff have had to cover their faces since November 30, 2010.

  • Shops and Supermarkets are places that sell goods or services to retail or for hire.
  • Auktion houses
  • Banks, post offices, bank branches, high-street solicitors and accountants. Credit unions.
  • Estate and letting agents
  • Is it possible to get personal attention and beauty treatment at premises like hair salons and barbers or nail salons and massage centers, as well as tattoo parlours and tattoo parlours?
  • pharmacies
  • Establishments offering veterinary care
  • Retail galleries
  • retail travel agents
  • Takeaways that do not allow you to eat or drink in their premises
  • Centres for shopping (malls or indoor markets).
  • Public transportation (trains/trams, aeroplanes; trams, trains, trams; buses; coaches and ferries); taxis. Private hire vehicles
  • Any car, small or large van, during any professionally-led driving lesson or practical driving test or one of the practical tests to give driving instruction and all HGV lessons or tests
  • Transport hubs include airports, railway and tram stations, terminals and maritime ports, as well as bus stations and terminals.

It was mostly understood that the rule could only be applied to churches where a face mask is required, but it can also be used to sing hymns. 

Official guidance from the Government states that face-masking is legal in some indoor public venues. This will also apply to places of worship as well as other public areas.

“There are exceptions to the rule for people who lead a service, or give a reading. There is also a reasonable excuse exemption that allows someone to take a picture while singing, if necessary.

Twitter was confused today by this policy. David Oliver, one of the critics, stated that singing is a reason for removing a facial covering. Wear a mask to the church for prayers, but don’t forget your mask! It’s completely absurd, and has no scientific foundation. 

Hannah Doit stated, “Surely singing produces more droplets of aerosol that travel further than simply breathing?” It is risky to remove a facial mask while singing. I’m not following the …? logic. Is there more nuance than what can be put in a tweet?

And Kay Morgan-Gurr tweeted: ‘When I heard masks in places of worship were to come back I was pleased – I thought I would manage at least one Christmas service. They are permitted to be removed to sing… I’m back in my box now. 

Last month, the Government announced that there have been several cases of Covid-19 in various parts of the globe linked to adult choir performances and rehearsals as well as church congregations.

Officials pointed out, however that singing by adults can produce large drops of respiratory secretions which fall on surfaces less than two meters from the singer and smaller droplets that travel some distance.

The researchers also stated that singing or shouting loudly could produce twenty times more aerosol than normal speech.

However, officials today confirmed that the exemption from wearing a mask for singing is also applicable in other indoor environments.

When asked if a Tesco customer could remove their mask if singing in the store, the answer was yes.

Officials stressed that there had to be an excuse for singing in supermarkets, as this would violate the law.

According to the official spokesperson of Prime Minister, ‘I urge’, “as has been the case throughout this whole process, for people to behave responsibly and sensibly, which is exactly what our experience shows.”

He stated, “It’s all about finding the right balance.” It is essential to find the appropriate balance when deciding what restrictions and measures you want to put in place.

He said that the implementation of these measures was practical and sensible.

Downing Street said that shoppers would not be allowed to use a “reasonable excuse” to remove their masks in order to perform in supermarkets following the new Plan B rules.

According to the official spokesperson of Prime Minister, he stated: “We made it clear that there was a plausible excuse for anyone who wants to do so.

Although it would not be possible for me to tell, I believe it would be difficult to justify. We’ve already seen the responsible behavior of the public and these rules will be fair and balanced. 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a press conference in Downing Street yesterday

Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, at a press conference held in Downing Street yesterday

“It may be up to the police, like it was during the pandemic.

This exemption shows that the new measures have their own peculiarities.

How do the Covid rules change in England?

WFH

Return to work from home guidance. If they’re able, people will be instructed to work remotely in England starting Monday.

Mask for the faceYou can find it here 

From Friday, face masks are mandatory in all indoor public venues. This includes theatres and cinemas. In bars, restaurants, and gyms they will not be needed.

Vaccine passports 

To gain entry to large nightclubs or other venues that host large numbers of people, the NHS Covid card is mandatory. 

It will also apply to unseated indoor venues hosting over 500 persons, outdoor venues holding more than 4,000 people, as well as any other venue that has more than 10,000 guests. 

The booster program will allow for two doses of vaccine to be considered fully-vaccinated. However, this information will not be changed. 

Also, a negative lateral flow test is sufficient. 

To allow businesses to plan, this requirement will be implemented in a week. 

Get in touch 

Omicron case contacts will be asked to submit daily coronavirus test results, rather than self-isolating. If they are positive, they will be quarantined. 

Even if someone isn’t eating or drinking, masks don’t have to be worn when the host hosts. 

Under Plan B, people will be told to work remotely if possible starting next week. However Johnson stated that it is still possible to host Christmas parties.

However, the guidelines would not prohibit colleagues from gathering in a pub for their work.

Officials stated that there is nothing in the rules which would prevent colleagues from going to a pub for lunch. They stressed the importance of reducing transmission risk within the workplace as well as the commute.

The interpretation of the guidance will be left up to employees and employers.

The advice to workers is to not travel to the office if possible. It will help slow the spread Omicron. 

Official spokesperson of the Prime Minister said that: “Obviously, we have been in such a position before. Employers and employees, however, have proven they are able to cooperate and create an agreement that recognises both business and individual needs and personal circumstances.

Also, it is understood that private church events aren’t required to wear masks as they don’t fall under the category of ‘public indoor venues’. Outdoor carol services would not need masks. 

According to the government, vaccination passports will not be accepted at places of worship. They will only be available for events and nightclubs where large groups gather. 

Face masks became compulsory in England starting November 30. 

Since July 19, when the lockdown was officially lifted, this marked the beginning of face-mask restrictions.

Face masks on Transport for London’s network were required between those dates but not in accordance with law.

It was legal to travel by Tube with a mask on, but it could be illegal to do so after that.

Officials claimed that the November 30th event was not open to masks because masks make it impossible for you to drink or eat while in a mask.