The chair of the British Medical Association (BMA) has called for face masks to be made mandatory for staff members in restaurants and other enclosed spaces.

After the discovery of the new Omicron variant in southern Africa a conference was held by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday November 27 where he stated the mask wearing would be required in shopps and on public transport.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul appeared on Good Morning Britain and was asked by Susana Reid if the hospitality sector needed more masks as another way of dealing with the Omicron variant.

In response Dr Nagpaul said it was important to make clear to the public how to best control the spread of both the Delta and Omicron variant.

He added: "The virus doesn't behave differently when you're next to someone in a bus and then suddenly cease to be infectious when you're being served by a waiter in a restaurant.

"So what we believe is that there should be mask wearing in all settings which are enclosed and indoors.

"Clearly that doesn't apply to people who are eating out, but it should apply to staff, for example, in restaurants and bars so that when you are close to a customer you reduce the chance of infecting others."

Dr Nagpaul went on to add that it would be important for restaurant owners to abide by this, so that their staff numbers wouldn't be impacted.