LONDON (REUTERS) - People in England may not need to wear face masks over the summer months if Covid-19 infections drop sufficiently, but they are likely to be required again in the winter, deputy chief medical officer Jenny Harries said on Wednesday (Feb 24).

"It's quite possible over the summer months - as we did last year - when we see rates drop, that we would not need to be wearing masks all that time," Harries said at a news conference.

"I think summer period, generally, we think is a much safer period for us, with less need for interventions. But I think that doesn't rule it out as we go into the winter periods again," she added.