Mayor’s call to make face masks compulsory
SADIQ Khan has called for face masks to be made compulsory while travelling in London.
The Mayor revealed he had asked the government to encourage people to wear protective coverings, but experts currently don’t recommend their use.
Similar measures were put in place in New York, and schemes are now active in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
But on April 16, UK chief medical officer Chris Whitty told the daily coronavirus press conference at Downing Street that evidence of their effectiveness was minimal.
He said: “The evidence is weak, but the evidence of a very small effect is there under certain circumstances.”
London Mayor Khan meanwhile revealed he is lobbying the Government to change its advice as quickly as possible. He told the BBC: “I’m hopeful that the advice from the scientists will change.
“The evidence around the world is that this is effective. I am lobbying our government and our advisers to change their advice and I want us to do that sooner rather than later.”
He added: “Evidence from around the world is showing that face coverings are effective at reducing the spread of Covid-19.”
Face coverings - like cloth masks - are different from the medical equipment required by the NHS as PPE and so would not compete for the same supply. Existing official advice is that masks are not necessary for the public while outside.
The World Health Organisation recently reiterated that the face coverings “should be saved for those in health and care who really need them”. And the organisation’s official advice says: “If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with a suspected Covid-19 infection.”
WHO special envoy Dr David Nabarro has suggested widespread use of masks will become “the norm” during the coronavirus pandemic.