UK Government Says Mandatory Face Masks Are Not Necessary…. Yet

Mr Streeting said most people visiting hospitals and care homes would “happily comply” with requests to wear masks.

He added: “The time has not yet come for everyone to wear masks, but what we are absolutely supporting frontline leaders to do is to determine whether, given the pressures they are under, it is the right thing to do to ask visitors to hospitals and other care settings to wear a mask to protect themselves and others.

“There will be places that is happening, it will be done in an informed way on the basis of the conditions they are operating under, and most people will happily comply with that. But at this stage there is no need to mandate mask wearing or ask everyone around the country to do the same.”

Earlier this month, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) urged people to “consider wearing a mask” if they had flu symptoms.

The latest published figures show flu continuing to surge, with about 3,000 hospital beds filled by cases.

Mr Streeting was asked by MPs about the pressures the health service was facing and the impact of strikes by junior doctors – now called resident doctors – who have begun their 14th round of industrial action.

The Health Secretary said the next few weeks would be “really challenging”, warning that pressures could get even worse after the five-day strike ended. He said he was worried about the weeks after the walkouts ended, with heavy reliance on the same hospital consultants who had covered during the strikes.