Monday is scheduled to be what’s become known as “Freedom Day” in Great Britain when most of the latest face mask mandates expire. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to sign the order, allowing people to go maskless in most indoor settings, including on public transportation. (The outdoor mandates were previously lifted in most areas.) But the expected wording on the announcement is already sowing confusion around the country according to the Associated Press. Different people – including medical professionals – disagree on the efficacy of masks, particularly the cloth ones used by most people. But they’re looking for some clear guidance from BoJo and it sounds like that’s not what’s coming.

The face mask — a highly charged source of debate, confusion and anger around the world during the coronavirus pandemic — is now dividing people as the crisis eases.

Britain is bracing for acrimony on Monday, when the government lifts a legal requirement to wear face coverings in most indoor settings, including shops, trains, buses and subways. Donning a mask in many places will stop being an order and become a request.

Already, people are split about how to respond.

“I’m glad,” said London café owner Hatice Kucuk. “I don’t think they really help much.”

Here’s why people are confused and already arguing about this. First of all, the UK is in the middle of another surge of the Delta variant. This week they recorded 40,000 cases in a single day, the most since the height of the surge last winter. The number of daily deaths is increasing as well, despite the increasing number of people who have been vaccinated. Some Brits are complaining that Freedom Day needs to be pushed back and the mandates should remain the law of the land.

But it’s the mixed message being sent by BoJo that really seems to be confounding people. Rather than simply saying ‘you no longer need to wear a mask if you don’t want to,’ Johnson is is turning his mandate into a request. He will be telling the public that the government “expects and recommends masks to be worn by workers and customers in crowded, enclosed spaces.” That’s not at all the same as saying that masks are just optional now. He’s making it sound like the masks are still definitely needed, but the government won’t arrest you if you choose not to wear one.

Making matters worse, the order isn’t universal. The relaxation of the masking rules applies to England, but Scotland and Wales make their own health regulations. Neither plans to lift the mask mandates on Monday. It isn’t even uniform across all of England. The Mayor of London has already said that masks will be required on public transportation inside the city. So if you happen to be traveling, either between UK countries or from rural areas into the capital, you’re going to be fine in some places but breaking the law in others if you’re not masked.

How the UK is backsliding in this battle is somewhat baffling. As of this week, they are up to 53% of the population being fully vaccinated. Wales is doing the best at 59.8% while England and Scotland are lagging roughly five or six percent behind them. They’re actually ahead of the United States, where we’re still stuck at 48.9% of the total population. Shouldn’t they be doing at least as well as us in terms of moving toward herd immunity?

The last thing BoJo wants to do at this point is lift the mandate and then be forced to slap it back into place again if the current surge spirals out of control. He’s already done that at least three times and it just makes him look as if he’s not in control of the situation.