Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said there is no need to mandate mask-wearing for “everyone around the country” “at this stage” as “the time has not yet come for everyone to wear masks”. The Telegraph has more.

The Health Secretary’s remarks came as he was asked by the Commons health and social care committee about rising flu levels, with record numbers of admissions to hospital for this time of year [where records started in 2021] coming as junior doctors embark on strike action.

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.

Read More: Mandatory Masking Not Necessary “Yet”, Says Streeting