A group of Conservative MPs has written to the prime minister demanding that face masks in the classroom be dropped after Easter, the Daily Telegraph reports.
The MPs told Boris Johnson in a letter that it was “just not good enough” to make millions of secondary pupils wear masks based on “pretty thin” evidence they stop the spread of Covid.
Government policy surrounding masks, both in schools and in public, has changed over the course of the pandemic, with schools navigating the ever-shifting sands of government guidance.
Mr Johnson said the latest measure, which recommends mask wearing in classrooms and other enclosed spaces where social distancing is not possible, would be in place at least for the rest of this term to offer “even greater reassurance”.
Signatories of the letter include Sir Graham Brady, Steve Baker, Huw Merriman, Philip Davies and Greg Smith.
The government has said the measure will be reviewed by Easter.