Key questions
Will a face mask help guard against the virus? How effective are hand sanitisers?
QIs the ASA right to chastise advertisers claiming that surgical masks can protect against coronavirus?
AThe answer is almost certainly yes. Face masks are not recommended for general use by Public Health England or the
NHS – and for good reason. There is no reliable scientific evidence to suggest they work, and experts worry they may cause significant unforeseen harms.
QWhat’s the problem with masks?
AThey are designed for use in clinical settings to keep droplets in, not out. They do not fit tightly and they allow air and anything carried by it in.
Medics wear them – for very short periods of time – to stop droplets falling on patients they are examining at close quarters. They then dispose of them safely in special hospital waste bins.
When they need a new one, they take it from a new and sanitary supply.
The masks also cause you to touch your face when you take them on and off.
Doctors are trained to be aware of this and to make sure to wash their hands whenever they are using a surgical mask.
QWhat harm could they cause?
APublic Health England and others worry they could encourage the spread of the virus. Masks cause people to touch their faces more, increasing the chances of them picking up the virus. People also wear them for much longer than they are designed, causing them to become moist, unsanitary and an ideal environment for bugs to breed in.
Most important, there is a risk that masks distract people from what the evidence overwhelmingly suggests is the best way of protecting yourself – washing your hands frequently, together with commonly used objects and surfaces.
QWhy does everyone wear them in Asia?
AIt’s largely a cultural thing. People have long used them to keep pollution out – for which they don’t work either. However, in Asia they tend to have a reassuring effect.
QIs there any situation in which they might be a good idea?
AIf you are coughing and sneezing and have no option but to go into a public place then a surgical mask will temporarily stop the worst of your droplets from being spread. However, if you have ever sneezed while wearing a surgical mask you will know that every part of you will be screaming to rip the thing off. That’s why tissues were invented.
QAre there masks that do protect against viruses?
AYes, but these are highly specialist, very expensive and only work effectively if used to exacting protocols that even medics can struggle to comply with.
QWhat about hand sanitisers?
AThe gold standard is washing your hands with soap and hot water thoroughly for 20 seconds. However, making a frequent habit of cleaning your hands is the key – once an hour, for example.
Hand sanitisers that are at least 60 per cent alcohol are effective, say Public Health England, the World Health Organisation and other expert bodies. They are especially useful when travelling or commuting.