The move means compulsory mask wearing in shops and on public transport, guidance to work from home and vaccine certificates will be scrapped in England. Last week the government changed guidance to remove face mask wearing in classrooms in secondary schools.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the success of the vaccine programme, coupled with a better understanding of treatment for the virus, is “allowing us to cautiously return to plan A, restoring more freedoms to this country”.

The move comes as the UK as a whole recorded 102,292 new daily Covid cases, with the week-on-week average being slightly down. There were 346 deaths recorded yesterday.

Public health guidance urging people to wear a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces if coming into contact strangers will remain in place, the Government said. It also said organisations will be able to choose if they will require Covid passes from those visiting their venues.

While the scrapping of measures have been welcomed by some, others have urged people to “be considerate to those around them” when it comes to choosing to wear a face covering, and to “be respectful” of policies in certain settings.

Both Sainsbury’s and John Lewis said their customers will be asked to wear masks, though the latter acknowledged it will ultimately come down to “personal choice”.

PA Media quote the British Retail Consortium saying the changes “will enable shopping to return to a more normal experience for customers, employees and businesses”.

But their chief executive Helen Dickinson added: “Retailers ask customers to be considerate to those around them when choosing whether to wear a face covering and to respect the decision of other customers.”