MASKS have been re-introduced for some indoor settings, following a rise in covid cases.
With the national rate of infection reaching 440.3 per 100,000 people, the Government has made face masks mandatory in shops and on public transport in England.
This applies from today onwards.
In Wokingham, case rates are the highest in Berkshire, and are significantly above the national average, sitting at 630.7 per 100,000 people.
In the borough, there were 144 new cases reported yesterday. In neighbouring Reading there were 88 cases reported. The area has an infection rate lower than Wokingham, at 530.8.
Bracknell Forest also has a lower infection rate, of 505.8, with 76 cases reported yesterday.
The decision to re-introduce masks is a bid to tackle the omicron coronavirus variant, which has arrived in the UK.
Residents could be fined £200 for failing to wear a mask on public transport and in shops. The fines double with every offence, up to a maximum of £6,400.
Reading Buses CEO, Robert Williams, said residents can wear any face covering, from masks to scarves or snoods on their buses.
He said: “Passengers who have medical exemptions will, obviously, be able to travel without wearing face coverings, but we do encourage everyone who can wear a face covering to do so – as we have been doing throughout the year – to help keep everyone safe.”
The hospitality sector is currently exempt from the rule, however updates are expected from health secretary Sajid Javid.
Other rules have been introduced for international travel.
From today, passengers arriving in the UK must take a Covid-19 PCR test within two days of arriving, and self-isolate until they test negative.
Measures will be reviewed in three weeks.
And in a bid to increase community immunity, covid booster jabs will now be offered to all over 18s in the UK in response to the new Omicron variant.
The gap between second doses and boosters will be reduced from six to three months. Severely immunocompromised people will be offered a fourth dose and children aged 12 to 15 will be invited for a second dose.