As of the 24th July 2020, the law regarding the wearing of face coverings in public has changed.

Different regulations exist for wearing face coverings in different parts of the UK, however in England there are specific circumstances when a face covering is required by law – for full details and the latest guidance please visit the gov.uk website

The website covers such key information as:

1. What is a face covering?
2. When to wear a face covering
3. When you do not need to wear a face covering
4. The reason for using face coverings
5. How to wear a face covering
6. Face coverings at work

We have been approached by a number of patients requesting letters of exemption to wearing face masks in various public settings.

The Government guidance suggests that there is no need for you to provide evidence of exemption – it should be sufficient for someone to declare that they are eligible for an exemption.

Therefore GP Practices are not required to provide letters of support for those who fall under the list of exemptions, or to those who do not fall under the list of exemptions.

Exemption cards or badges

Some people may feel more comfortable showing something that says they do not have to wear a face covering. This could be in the form of an exemption card, badge or even a home-made sign.

This is a personal choice, and is not necessary in law.

If you would like to use an exemption card you can use the PDF attachments on this page.

Those who have an age, health or disability reason to not wear a face covering should not be routinely asked to provide any written evidence of this. Written evidence includes exemption cards.