BUSINESSES have welcomed the reintroduction of face coverings as concerns grow over the Omicron variant of coronavirus.

Face coverings are now once again compulsory in shops and on public transport in England.

Boris Johnson confirmed the move in a press conference called after two cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus were detected in the UK.

Jacqui Armstrong, of Barrow Market Hall said: "Barrow Market Hall traders take their responsibility seriously to help prevent the spread of Covid-19 and welcome the UK Government's decision to reintroduce face coverings in shops.

"We will be providing free disposable face masks at the Portland Walk entrance into the market hall as we understand that some of our customers may forget to bring one with them until they get back into the habit of wearing face coverings again.

"We would like to ask our customers to please wear a face covering, face mask or visor, unless they are exempt due to a pre existing medical condition.

"We must remain respectful and understanding towards one another whilst keeping each other safe."

The rules surrounding face masks were relaxed in England in July.

Speaking at Downing Street on Saturday evening, he said: "On face coverings, what we're looking at is retail and transport, just going back to a position where you have to wear them in retail settings or on public transport."

The change comes after two cases of Omicron were discovered in Essex and Nottingham.

The rule change has been welcomed by retailers in Barrow, who are eager to keep both customers and staff safe.

St Mary's Hospice head of retail and hospitality, Caroline Welch, said: "Our teams in our smaller shops and cafe never stopped wearing masks, and we've been politely reminding customers to do the same. The vast majority of them have been great and supported us with that.

"I think with the new variant the move to make masks mandatory again is welcome, because it helps to keep our teams safe and also protects our customers. Protecting people is the priority for us. If we can continue to wear masks throughout winter, use the hand sanitizer we provide in all our shops, and just all remember to be kind to each other, that can only be a good thing."