Shoppers in England ordered to wear masks from Jul 24

LONDON: Shoppers in England will have to wear face coverings in shops and supermarkets from Jul 24 to help reduce the risk of a new pick-up in the spread of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's office said.

Johnson said last week that tighter rules on wearing face coverings might be needed but a senior minister - Cabinet Secretary Michael Gove - said on Sunday that wearing masks should be left instead to people's common sense.

"The prime minister has been clear that people should be wearing face coverings in shops and we will make this mandatory from Jul 24," a spokesperson for Johnson's Downing Street office said on Monday (Jul 13).

Britain has Europe's highest coronavirus death toll, with almost 45,000 confirmed deaths.