London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025

Economist poll claims 40% of Britons want mask mandate FOREVER, regardless of Covid-19

Economist poll claims 40% of Britons want mask mandate FOREVER, regardless of Covid-19

As Boris Johnson’s government plans to lift all Covid-19 restrictions on July 19, some groups are campaigning against the move, while a new poll shows that a significant number of Britons want some measures to stay permanently.

A poll by the market research firm Ipsos MORI, published by the Economist on Thursday, reveals that overwhelming majorities of Britons support most of the current restrictions past the July 19 deadline and even “until Covid-19 is under control globally.”

Moreover, a significant minority said they would like some measures to remain in place “permanently, regardless of the risk” from the coronavirus.


Around a third of respondents favoured permanent social distancing in pubs and theatres, 10-day quarantines for those returning from abroad and contract-tracing check-ins at restaurants. A full 40% were in favour of indefinite face mask mandates in shops and on public transport, and even more approved of foreign travel only with proof of vaccination.


The popularity of the 10pm curfew remained under 30% in all cases, but 19% still supported extending it permanently.

The results prompted the Economist’s Matthew Holehouse to wonder if Britons were really so different in character than the “half of Europe” who lived under “repression but also some consent” 50 years ago.


While one might quibble about the poll’s results and methodology, there is no denying the existence of pushback against Johnson’s bid to reopen England come July 19. On Monday, the Blood Cancer UK charity tweeted that for many of their members this would be “the day that it feels like freedoms are being taken away from them,” because they would no longer feel safe among the unmasked.

On Tuesday, the Guardian ran a story declaring the ‘day of freedom’ will instead be a “day of fear” for many. One 34-year-old disabled woman said she felt “hopeless” because others would not wear masks. A 39-year-old office worker said masks should be worn for “just three more months” so all the adults could get vaccinated and everyone could get “be as safe as it’s possible to be” from the virus, including “Long Covid” and new variants.

Johnson’s reopening is “dangerous and premature” as well as “unethical and illogical,” argued over 100 scientists and doctors in a ‘Memorandum Against Mass Infection’, published on Wednesday in the correspondence section of The Lancet medical journal.

“Many scientists are sincerely concerned that with sub-optimal double-vaccination numbers and rapidly rising transmission rates, we are at a very dangerous moment in the pandemic,” said the letter.


However, a number of journalists have suggested that at least some of the anti-reopening campaign might be inauthentic. Several Twitter accounts have posted an identical message, claiming to “speak for all UK citizens” in demanding the continuation of the mask mandate beyond July 19.

The UK hit 5 million total Covid-19 cases on Thursday, putting it in seventh place globally after the US, India, Brazil, Russia, France and Turkey. There was also a single-day increase of 32,551 new infections and 35 fatalities.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
×