Boris Johnson's mask U-turn descended into chaos today after TfL and rail firms issued conflicting orders and shoppers ditched face coverings early.

The Prime Minister is scrapping all Covid restrictions in England, including compulsory face masks on public transport and in shops from next Thursday.

Already this morning, in an Asda supermarket in south London shoppers binned their masks and went bare faced. 

John Lewis and Waitrose became the first major stores to confirm that masks are no longer necessary. A spokesman told MailOnline that it will ‘suggest' masks are worn, but stressed ‘it will be down to individuals to make a personal choice'. 

However, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has warned that face coverings will remain a ‘condition of carriage' on all TfL services including Tubes, buses, Overground trains, trams or river boats - meaning people without masks may be denied travel unless exempt.

TfL said that 500 officers and ‘police partners' will be out across the network in the coming days to ensure that customers continue to comply with the Government's restrictions until the law expires next week. The service warned that ‘those who do not wear face coverings may be prevented from using our services or asked to leave the network'.

But the threat of being fined if people don't cover their faces will be dropped next Thursday because it will be no longer legally enforceable. TfL has fined more than 1,800 commuters not wearing masks between November 30 and yesterday, a spokesman told MailOnline.

Messaging on masks threatened to collapse further into farce after the Rail Delivery Group said National Rail would only ask people to wear masks in busy indoor settings.

A spokesman for the group, which represents Britain's train operators, confirmed this will be guidance, and not enforced, adding: ‘Passengers should follow the government guidance and, as a courtesy to others, https://nohu90.college/ wear face coverings if an indoor setting is busy.'

This creates the bizarre situation in London where masks will be required on some services but not others travelling on the same tracks between the same stations - because one is operated by Transport for London and the other is not.

For example, commuters travelling from Kensington Olympia to Shepherd's Bush will need to wear masks on Overground trains but not on Southern services.

Similarly, people going from Upminster to Barking will have to cover their faces on District line trains - but not on c2c. 




Commuters cram into the carriage of a Jubilee line train at Waterloo station on the London Underground this morning





Commuters wear face masks as the travel on the Jubilee Line in East London during rush hour this morning





Commuters at Waterloo station in London make their way into offices today after advice to work from home was dropped





Shoppers in an Asda in south London chose not to wear face masks. The change in rule comes into force next week





A female shopper in an Asda supermarket in south London chose not to wear a face mask





The current face mask rule stickers from Transport for London, pictured today, are a common sight on Underground trains





Commuters wear masks as they stand or walk on an escalator at Waterloo station on the London Underground this morning





People wearing face masks walk past a Covid-19 mask rules poster at Piccadilly Circus station in London this morning















Data published by TfL shows commuter traffic in the past two years (January 2020-22). It reveals that the number of workers travelling by bus or Tube, and commuter footfall across the capital, remains way down on pre-Covid









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