Thousands of doctors say they want to see face coverings remain mandatory, with 90 per cent telling the BMA that masks should continue to be worn on public transport.

Almost 2,500 doctors across the UK responded to the latest BMA survey, and as well as 90 per cent wanting to see masks remaining mandatory on public transport, a further 2,176 or 91 per cent of doctors believe masks should continue to be worn in healthcare settings - where practical - and another 2,061 or 86 per cent say the same for social care settings. What’s more, 78 per cent think face coverings should continue to be worn in shops, followed by a further 68 per cent for hospitality and 66 per cent for workplaces, like offices.

Support for sticking with social distancing is also high among respondents, with 78 per cent believing that it should remain mandatory in healthcare settings and 75 per cent agreeing for social care settings. On public transport, 75 per cent think social distancing should continue.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA council chair, said: “If the Prime Minister does not continue to make mask wearing mandatory, we will see a sustained and even steeper rise in infection rates across the summer and beyond which will significantly impact on our NHS and result in more serious illness and hospitalisation – simply ‘expecting’ people to wear one is not good enough and sends out a confusing mixed message to the public.

“Doctors are clear in their desire to protect the public’s health and our NHS by proven measures to control spread of this deadly virus. They want to see the legal requirement for wearing of face coverings retained not just in enclosed public spaces but also for patients and visitors and staff in hospitals and GP surgeries as well as social care settings.”