- The
UK government is set to tell Brits to wear masks outside the house, according to reports. - UK scientists met on Tuesday and reportedly agreed that Brits should wear masks at work and on public transport.
- Boris Johnson's government has so far opted against instructing people to wear masks.
- There are concerns in the UK that the country is already running out of masks and other PPE for NHS staff.
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The UK government is reportedly preparing to tell people to wear
Boris Johnson's government has until now resisted calls to recommend the public use of face masks to stop the transmission of the coronavirus, saying it is not fully supported by scientific evidence.
However, UK scientists met on Tuesday to discuss the matter, and are set to tell the government that people should wear masks and face coverings at work and on public transport to stop carriers of the virus passing it onto others, The Sun newspaper reports.
The report suggests that UK scientists advising the government, known collectively as "SAGE," now believe masks and coverings could stop asymptomatic carriers of the coronavirus passing it onto other people.
The World Health Organisation's original position was that there was no evidence to suggest face masks helped stop the spread of the coronavirus. However, the WHO has since said masks could prevent people with the virus passing it onto others, though they cannot stop the wearers from catching the deadly virus.
The UK is set to become the latest country to U-turn on the question of whether its citizens should wear masks.
France's Academy Of Medicine earlier this month issued new instructions to French people to wear masks whenever leaving their homes, after originally saying there was no evidence to justify their use.
Johnson's government is set to advise people that they can wear coverings other than surgical masks used by NHS staff, such as scarves and home-made masks, The Sun newspaper report suggests.
It comes amid warnings that the UK is already running out of masks and other safety equipment, known as PPE, to provide for doctors, nurses, and other staff working in the NHS.
The Financial Times reported this week that figures in the PPE industry say they would not be able to cope with a change in government advice leading to the general public seeking face masks.
Sam Gompels, owner of PPE distributor HealthCare, told the FT that there was "absolutely no way" the PPE market would be able to meet the increased demand of safety equipment.
The UK government's system for procuring PPE like masks from manufactuers has also been heavily criticised.
Business Insider reported on Tuesday that a supplier based in Liverpool last month offered the Department of Health & Social Care 10 million face masks to provide to NHS staff. However, the department was too slow to respond to offer, meaning the masks were sold to other countries like Germany.
The Guardian newspaper reported that the UK government missed opportunities to secure 16 million masks over the last four weeks.
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