Half of Brits would feel unsafe without a mask on public transport

More than half of Britons would not feel safe on public transport after June 21 without face coverings – and two fifths are nervous about going into shops

  • New poll suggests many people would not feel comfortable ditching face masks 
  • Survey showed more than half of Britons would not feel safe on public transport
  • Almost two in five would feel unsafe shopping for clothes without a mask on 

More than half of Britons would feel unsafe using public transport without wearing a mask after ‘freedom day’ on June 21, according to a new poll. 

An exclusive survey for MailOnline by Redfield & Wilton Strategies found that some 54 per cent of people said they would feel unsafe on buses and trains without a face covering. 

Meanwhile, a majority of respondents said they would feel safe without a mask shopping for clothes and similar items but almost two-fifths – 37 per cent – said they would feel unsafe. 

The poll suggests that many people could opt to continue wearing face masks even if the Government says they no longer have to in certain circumstances. 

A majority of people said they would feel unsafe without a mask while using public transport after June 21

Almost two fifths of respondents to a new survey said they would feel unsafe shopping without a mask

Almost two fifths of respondents to a new survey said they would feel unsafe shopping without a mask

Ministers are currently conducting a review into social distancing to see whether rules can be ditched from June 21 – the date scheduled for the final step in Boris Johnson’s lockdown exit roadmap.  

There have been suggestions that the face coverings guidelines could be trimmed. 

However, Government scientific advisers are known to be pushing for mask rules to be retained long into the future. 

The Redfield & Wilton Strategies poll, conducted on May 26, found that the public is split on whether they would feel safe without a mask. 

Some 54 per cent of people said they would feel unsafe without a mask on public transport after June 21 while 36 per cent said they would feel safe and nine per cent said they did not know.

There were similar numbers for trips to the cinema, with 54 per cent saying they would feel unsafe without a mask and 37 per cent saying they would feel safe.   

Perhaps unsurprisingly more people said they would feel safe without a mask while outside at a restaurant or pub compared to if they were inside. 

Some 49 per cent said they would feel safe without a mask while inside a hospitality venue and 41 per cent said they would feel unsafe.

The numbers for outside dining or drinking were 69 per cent safe and 24 per cent unsafe while seven per cent said they did not know.

A majority of people – 56 per cent – said they would feel safe without a mask while shopping for clothes or other such items. 

But 37 per cent said they would feel unsafe without a mask while shopping after June 21 and eight per cent said they did not know.