Face masks wearing is the latest debate on how to deal with Covid19 in light of lockdown being eased even further after 4th July. Should we or should we not be mandated to wear face masks in public? You would think the answer is easy ……..
What Gove said
It is anything but! Michael Gove has suggested that wearing face coverings in shops will not become mandatory in England, sparking confusion over plans to control the spread of coronavirus as the UK emerges from lockdown. Instead, he said instead that people could use their common sense.
Andrew Marr asked on his show whether face coverings would become mandatory in shops, Gove replied: “I don’t think mandatory, no, but I would encourage people to wear a face mask, where they are inside, in an environment where they are likely to be mixing with others and the ventilation may not be as good as it might. It is basic good manners, courtesy and consideration to wear a face mask if, for example, you’re in a shop.”
What PM Johnson said
What exactly is the confusion? It was just last Friday that Boris Johnson indicated he was considering making wearing face masks compulsory in shops and other enclosed spaces.
The PM was reported to have said last Friday that “I do think we need to be stricter in insisting people wear face coverings in confined spaces where they are meeting people they don’t normally meet. That’s why it’s mandatory already on public transport. We are looking at ways of making sure that people really do have face coverings in shops, for instance, where there is a risk of transmission.”
So if current guideline is not to go on public transport without a face mask, why can the same not apply to going into shops and other enclosed public places?
Cloth face masks do not have the same preventative characteristic as medical masks. However they do keep the wearer from transmitting their germs and further, providing protection those that are unable to wear them for medical reasons.
What I say
Please wear your face mask. It helps to keep me and you safe. I have taken to wearing my own self made African print face masks whenever I go to public places or to shops. It is common courtesy so I agree with Gove on that point. But it also shows that we care about one another and getting rid of coronavirus.
UK has been well far behind other European countries in deciding on its guidance on the wearing of face masks. Hopefully that is about to change.