The legal requirement to wear face masks in England is set to be dropped when the lockdown ends.

Reports suggests the Government will replace the mandatory requirement with guidance instead, as they look for life to return to as near normal as possible.

The emphasis will be placed on ‘personal responsibility’ when it comes to face masks, according to the Times.

Rules on social distancing and working from home are also expected to be abandoned when the lockdown ends on July 19.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson pushed back the ending of lockdown by four weeks due to an increase in the number of cases of the Indian Covid variant.

The UK recorded more than 11,000 new Covid cases yesterday, while the number of people in hospital with the virus is now at its highest point since April.

But Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said the data is “looking encouraging” for the ending of lockdown in July.

“I hope that we can take the steps on July 19, that are pencilled in for then, because the data is looking encouraging,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

Despite optimism among ministers, the Times also reports the Government is expected to rule out an early end to the lockdown next week.

It had previously been suggested the rules could be scrapped as early as Monday, July 5.

But this now appears unlikely, amid a push to get all the over 40s fully vaccinated before easing all remaining lockdown rules.

It is also understood the Government is weighing up adding more countries to the green travel list – meaning people would not need to quarantine for 10 days upon their return from the UK from the relevant countries.

Media minister John Whittingdale has said he hopes the Government would be able to put more countries on the green list of travel restrictions later this week.

Mr Whittingdale told Sky News the list would be reviewed “later this week to make revisions to the green list, and I hope that we can put more countries on to it”.

But he urged people to go on holiday in Britain.

“You can have a great holiday in Britain and I think a very large number of people will decide this year that that’s what they will do,” he said.

“Having said that, people like to get away to the sun and there are a number of countries on the green list, and hopefully it will be possible to increase that number.”