Why Britons should get in the mask habit

BRITONS must quickly adopt the Asian habit of wearing face masks in public to quell the coronavirus epidemic, a UK- based Chinese medical academic says.

The masks are effective at reducing the chance of infected people passing the virus on to others, according to Professor Daqing Ma of Imperial College London.

‘Most people in the UK who wear masks do so because they are worried about being i nfected themselves,’ said the professor of anaesthesia. ‘But we need to have a much more altruistic approach and start from the premise we may be carrying the bug ourselves.

By wearing a mask, we are protecting others.’

More than half of infections could be transmitted from people who are asymptomatic or have only mild symptoms, research suggests. Prof Ma’s call is backed by a new study in Hong Kong which found wearing a mask stops infected breath going so far. Prof Ma added: ‘When you go out in the street in China without a mask you get looked at. People frown or pass comment. It is seen as socially unacceptable – you are putting others at risk.’