I suggested five weeks ago that it was “only a matter of time before ministers have to accept that making masks mandatory will help to tackle the current increase in (Covid) cases”.

Now at last the Government has acted following the first two cases of the Omicron variant in the UK.

The Prime Minister has announced a “tightening” of the rules on wearing face coverings. When pressed on what that meant, he said “we are going back to the position where you have to wear them in retail settings and on public transport.”

Full details will come in the next few days from the Health Secretary.

Transport operators will now have to update their messaging.

It’s not quite Plan B, more like Plan B Lite.

I’m pleased that ministers have taken this step. It sends out a clear and unambiguous message.

So many people I have met in the last five weeks have agreed with my call for the reintroduction of mandatory face masks on trains.

My outstanding question is why it has taken this long.

Perhaps, as a former prime minister once said, we should “just rejoice at that news”.