Wakefield Council leader calls for face covering laws to be tightened to 'give confidence' to public

Mask wearing is compulsory in indoor public places, although people with certain medical conditions are exempt.

However, Councillor Denise Jeffery said she'd received complaints from members of the public about people not complying with the rules or wearing the masks as "ornaments".

Speaking on a live Q&A session on Facebook on Monday, Coun Jeffery suggested face coverings be made a legal requirement in outdoor public places as well.

She said: "I've had a number of people writing to me and phoning me this week about people walking round either not wearing masks or just wearing them beneath their chin like an ornament.

"It makes people frustrated and worried and it stops them feeling confident going into shopping centres and the town centres.

"I might be saying the wrong thing here, but I think it's time the government made it totally compulsory to wear masks all the time when people are out and about, until we get a vaccine.

"It would give people so much more confidence to go out and about."

Meanwhile, the local NHS has said it is preparing to deliver the Covid vaccine to priority groups next month.

Jo Webster, from Wakefield Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said the vaccine still needed to be signed off by the UK's independent regulator.

But she added: "We will be ready in Wakefield to administer it to as many as possible for all those vulnerable adults in the first cohort, over the age of 80, and to those health and care staff who are looking after those who are sick.

"So it is good news, but there are still a couple of hoops to be jumped through."

Local Democracy Reporting Service