Are there any exemptions to wearing a face mask or covering?
Some people are not required to wear a face covering.
These include:
- children under 5 years of age in SCOTLAND
- children under 11 years of age in ENGLAND
- police constables or workers such as paramedics acting in the course of their duty
- staff such as drivers or checkout assistants who are physically separated, by means of, for example, screens, from passengers or customers
- shop workers if they maintain a 2 metre distance from customers or members of the public
You may also have a reasonable excuse not to wear a face covering if, for example:
- you have a health condition or you are disabled and a face covering would be inappropriate because it would cause difficulty, pain or severe distress or anxiety or because you cannot apply a covering and wear it in the proper manner safely and consistently. Individual discretion should be applied in considering the use of face coverings for other children including, for example, children with breathing difficulties and disabled children who would struggle to wear a face covering
- you need to eat or drink
- you are taking medication
- you are communicating with someone else who relies on lip reading
- a relevant person, such as a police officer, asks you to remove your face covering