By Sophia Wright, Holly Skipp, Yahaya Egwaikhide and Jodie Jago
Following the government’s announcement on November 26th regarding the mandatory wearing of face coverings in light of the new Omnicron variant of coronavirus, the GOV.UK website has stated as of today that face coverings are required in shops and public transport.
While many members of the public in the Holloway area do not object to the legal mandate, others do.
Treyway, aged 23, is a Customer Service Assistant at Holloway Road Station. “I’ve been working throughout the whole pandemic and I’ve never caught the virus so it doesn’t make a difference to me,” said the young man, who didn’t wish to give his surname.
When asked about who should be policing the mandate, Treyway said: “TfL officers should implement it; I think there’s about 500 of them so they should enforce it. He added that he would not speak up if someone was not wearing a mask as “it’s not my business, I keep to my business.”
Not surprised about masks
Yoang King, the owner of Blue 77, a vintage shop on Holloway Road, was not surprised with the announcement however, she wishes rules were stricter before the outbreak of the new Covid-19 variant.
Yoang said wearing a mask was “not a big deal” and explains that most of her regular customers do not have an issue with wearing one.
How should the mask mandate be enforced? “It’s the government’s job, I am not strict. It could potentially affect my business if I do not allow non-face covering wearers into my shop,” she said.
Yoang explained how exhausting this pandemic has been for her and the importance of wearing face coverings to ensure the health of people and to stop the closure of small businesses as hers.
Over 18? It’s your responsibility
Ram, 41 who owns a phone repair shop on Holloway Road, explained how he felt about wearing a mask. “To be honest with you, I already have a mask, I use the inhaler as well, so I have a hard time breathing with it.”
Would Ram request customers to wear a mask when coming to his shop? “People are sensitive. If you ask them,
sometimes they get angry. I don’t want to advise it. If they are over 18 it is their responsibility.”
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