There will be no legal obligation to wear a mask or socially distance after July 19, Boris Johnson announced on Monday, but Stroud MP Siobhan Baillie said she will wear one if asked to or when on crowded public transport.

She echoed the Prime Minister by stating it was a matter of individual responsibility, though critics of Boris Johnson’s decision have argued some rules, such as masks, were designed to protect other people.

The news comes after Stroud recorded the highest number of cases in one day, June 29, since around the peak of the second wave, and on June 30 recorded a seven day average of 173 new cases per 100,000 people – an increase of 2,780 per cent since May 30.

No local data exists for long Covid, but according to the Office of National Statistics in the four weeks ending May 30, 1m people in the UK reported experiencing long-Covid and 376,000 of them still had symptoms a year after infection.

Ms Baillie said after July 19, people should not be criticised for choosing to wear masks or deciding not to.

“I will certainly wear a mask and social distance if someone specifically asks me to do so or a business requests that masks continue,” she said.

“In the company of friends or family for example, I will not routinely do so unless someone asks me to or there is a good medical reason.

“In other situations, such as public transport, I think that would very much depend on how crowded it is and who is in the carriage with me.

“As the Prime Minister has made clear, it is about taking responsibility and using common sense, not the state telling us what to do.

“We need to learn to live with the virus and manage our own risk now we are backed up by a brilliant vaccine rollout.”

As of July 3, 87 per cent of Stroud District residents have received one Covid jab, which Public Health England said was 30 per cent (AstraZeneca) or 36 per cent (Pfizer) effective against symptomatic disease brought on by the Delta variant, which itself makes up for 95 per cent of all new Covid cases.

Around 68 per cent of people in Stroud have received two doses, which experts believe is 74 per cent (AstraZeneca) or 88 per cent (Pfizer) against symptomatic disease.

This rises to 71 per cent (AstraZeneca) or 94 per cent (Pfizer) effectiveness against hospital admissions for one jab and 92 (AstraZeneca) or 96 (Pfizer) after two doses.

No deaths within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 have occured in Stroud since March 20 and there are currently 14 patients in hospital with Covid-19 under the care of Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.