A MAJORITY of people in York are no longer wearing a mask when going into shops, a Press survey suggested today.

Almost two thirds of 50 customers emerging from the Tesco convenience store in Piccadilly this afternoon were not wearing a mask or any other facial covering.

The snapshot survey was the same as two surveys we conducted in July, just before and after the 'Freedom Day' relaxation of legal requirements for customers to cover their faces.

Before Freedom Day, 47 customers wore masks or some other form of facial covering.

Just afterwards, the number of people with their faces covered had fallen to 39, with 11 unmasked.

Today, of 50 people leaving the store, only 18 had a mask or scarf over their face.

The fall in mask wearing comes as the Government comes under increasing pressure from scientists and NHS leaders to switch to 'Plan B' to combat the rise in Covid cases, which would include the mandatory use of masks in some places.