# FILE NAME: 00001811.soc
# TITLE: Should all people in the UK be required to wear a face covering when they are in public? [5a34370a0a3cc4dd15a3b73cdc190027]
# DESCRIPTION: 
# DATA TYPE: soc
# MODIFICATION TYPE: original
# RELATES TO: 
# RELATED FILES: 
# PUBLICATION DATE: 2025-10-12
# MODIFICATION DATE: 2025-10-12
# NUMBER ALTERNATIVES: 4
# NUMBER VOTERS: 5
# NUMBER UNIQUE ORDERS: 5
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 1: Statement 1 - People should not be required to wear face coverings when they are in public. However, if there is another pandemic, the government should suggest that people wear face coverings in order to protect others.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 2: Statement 2 - While it is clear that face coverings are not perfect and do not provide a full 100% guarantee of stopping the spread of Covid-19, the evidence does suggest that face coverings are a useful tool in protecting the public. With this in mind, the UK government should not require the public to wear face coverings when they are in public, but should encourage people to wear them as much as possible. This will allow people to still feel safe in public, and protect them from others who are sick, while also protecting the economy, as it allows people to still feel confident to be in public. The group would also recommend that the government keep a close eye on the current situation, and make changes to this policy if it is seen that face coverings are ineffective or are not enough.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 3: Statement 3 - During the COVID-19 pandemic, we believe that the UK should have a face covering policy in order to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 and that this policy should be implemented for a few months at the start of a pandemic until the infection rate is reduced and to a point where it is clear the pandemic is no longer worsening.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 4: Statement 4 - People in the UK should not be required to wear face coverings when they are in public. While this was necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is no longer necessary and therefore should not be required in any legal sense. For most of UK history we have not been required to wear a face covering in public and there is no reason to change this now, when we are not in a pandemic. However, having seen the benefit of less illnesses (flus, colds etc) during the pandemic, I would say that the government could suggest/encourage that people wear face coverings when they are sick, in order to protect others, but this should not be mandated by law.
1: 1,4,2,3
1: 2,4,1,3
1: 4,3,2,1
1: 1,4,3,2
1: 4,2,3,1