Wearing a face covering in shops and supermarkets in England is to become mandatory from 24 July.
Those who fail to comply with the new rules will face a fine of up to £100, the government has announced.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said it would "give people more confidence to shop safely and
enhance protections for those who work in shops".
The move will bring England into line with Scotland and other major European nations like Spain, Italy and Germany.
Since mid-May, members of the public have been advised to wear coverings in enclosed public spaces, where they may encounter people they would not usually meet.
Mask-wearing has been compulsory on public transport in England and at NHS facilities across the UK since 15 June.
Children under 11 and those with certain disabilities will be exempt.
The list of exemptions has not yet been published, but the rules for face masks on public transport, external exempt anyone who cannot wear one "because of any physical or mental [...]
What is Face Mask? A face mask or respirator is a device designed to protect the wearer from inhaling hazardous atmospheres. These include fumes, vapours, gases and particulate matter such as dusts and airborne microorganisms. There are two main categories: the air-purifying respirator, in which respirable air is
obtained by filtering a contaminated atmosphere, and the air-supplied respirator, in which an alternate supply of breathable air is delivered. Within each category, different techniques are employed to reduce or eliminate noxious airborne contaminants. Air-purifying respirators range from relatively inexpensive single-use, disposable face masks sometimes referred to as a dust mask to more robust reusable models with replaceable cartridges often called a gas mask.
Who are BBC News? What is COVID? Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans, coronaviruses cause respiratory tract infections that are typically mild, such as the common cold, though rarer forms such as SARS, MERS, and COVID-19 can be lethal. Symptoms vary in other species: in chickens
they cause an upper respiratory tract disease, while in cows and pigs they cause diarrhea. There are yet to be vaccines or antiviral drugs to prevent or treat human coronavirus infections.