Masks should have three layers, says Welsh minister

FACE coverings should be three layers thick, the Welsh government has said, as they can reduce transmission of coronavirus in situations where social distancing is not possible.

In new guidance issued yesterday, Vaughan Gething, the Welsh health minister, said non-medical coverings with a minimum of three layers should be worn in public, after the World Health Organisation updated its own advice. Wales had been the only country in the UK not to recommend the use of face coverings in public, with Mr Gething previously saying it should be “a matter of personal choice”.

However, the change would not make wearing them mandatory, unlike in England, where on public transport people could be refused travel or fined if they fail to cover up from June 15.

Public Health Wales said a further nine people had died after testing positive for Covid-19, taking the total number of deaths to 1,410, while the total of cases increased by 42 to 14,480.

Mr Gething told a daily press briefing in Cardiff yesterday: “The most obvious example is public transport, where more than about 15 per cent of capacity is likely to mean the two-metre social distancing is not possible.

“A homemade or purchased threelayer face covering might reduce transmission if made, worn, handled and removed or disposed of properly.”

He said the guidance was only for those who showed no Covid symptoms; those with symptoms should isolate for seven days and request testing.

The Welsh government would not make the wearing of them mandatory, he said, and the recommendation did not cover face coverings outdoors or in places like supermarkets, where there was already provision for social distancing.

He added it would be up to train companies to decide what they would ask of passengers who travelled to or through England.