Daily Mirror

Experts are now just the tonic for populists

- Amyclare.martin@mirror.co.uk @AmyClareMa­rtin

for the elderly and vulnerable to do their banking.

But it is unclear if it is advisable for those with preexistin­g conditions to go outdoors at all.

Age UK and grass roots charities are rallying community efforts to ensure those who need to stay indoors have everything they need.

HERE’S an interestin­g thing. The populist idea that experts have no value and can be ignored has been turned on its head by the coronaviru­s pandemic.

Turns out the public trusts the advice given by our leading medical experts far more than that of politician­s.

A survey by Opinium has shown people have more faith in medics and scientists than they have in the Prime Minister. Just 37% trust the

From where can one obtain facemasks? My wife and I are in our 80s, in the category of “vulnerable”. Our local practice does not have any. Do chemists?

Peter

Dr Miriam: I know an awful lot of people are wearing masks in the street and on the TV news we see the same thing.

When the epidemic broke out in Wuhan, people took to wearing facemasks and so that habit has been accepted all over the world as the right thing to do.

But the flimsy paper

Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, while fewer than two in five trust Boris Johnson. But six in 10 trust the Chief Medical Officer, Chris Whitty, and nearly the same number the Director General of the World Health Organisati­on, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu­s.

What a turn-up for the books. We’re beginning to trust scientists again.

If we don’t, we have nowhere to go. facemasks that you might buy at a chemist provide no protection against the virus.

Try as researcher­s might, they haven’t found good evidence that the facemask is a useful preventive.

The only kind of facemasks doing their job are high-grade, hardcore medical masks worn by hospital staff and patients, and these aren’t available to the general public.

This kind of facemask not only prevents the wearer from catching the virus but stops someone with the virus breathing it over others.

The battle against virus is a marathon not a sprint... if you have symptoms stay at home

 ??  ?? can help elderly neighbours by joining the #viralkindn­ess campaign. Cut out, copy and use this form to help those more vulnerable in your community.
can help elderly neighbours by joining the #viralkindn­ess campaign. Cut out, copy and use this form to help those more vulnerable in your community.
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