Venki Ramakrishnan called for everyone to wear a face covering in public — particularly in enclosed public spaces — pointing to new evidence suggesting that coverings may protect both the wearer and those around them.
Ramakrishnan said that people in the UK were “skeptical” about the benefits of using face coverings, and noted that the country was “way behind” other countries when it came to using face coverings, with inconsistent guidance and policies.

“The public have taken to handwashing and distancing but remain skeptical about face coverings,” Ramakrishnan said in a statement.

“You only need to go on public transport, where they are supposed to be mandatory, to see how many people are ignoring this new rule based on the growing body of evidence that wearing a mask will help protect others — and might even protect you.”

As per UK government advice for England, face coverings are required on public transport or when visiting hospitals.

“It used to be quite normal to have quite a few drinks and drive home, and it also used to be normal to drive without seatbelts. Today both of those would be considered antisocial, and not wearing face coverings in public should be regarded in the same way,” he added.

Venki Ramakrishnan said the UK is behind other countries in terms of wearing masks and having clear guidance on face coverings.

Venki Ramakrishnan said the UK is behind other countries in terms of wearing masks and having clear guidance on face coverings.

Ramakrishnan’s comments come as new evidence from the Royal Society points to the benefits of face coverings.

The first report — an updated report from the Royal Society’s Data Evaluation and Learning for Viral Epidemics Initiative (DELVE) — found that universal use of masks could prevent virus transmission, and also pointed to new evidence that suggested that face coverings could provide protection to the wearer.

The second report by the Royal Society’s SET-C (Science in Emergencies Tasking — COVID-19) group examined the effectiveness of different face mask types and coverings, and studied behavioral factors that limit adherence to mask wearing, including public understanding of virus spread, risk perception, effectiveness of public messaging, trust and barriers to mask wearing.

Researchers found that the UK was “trailing behind” other countries in terms of policy implementation and wearing face coverings, with mask wearing in the UK at around 25% in April, compared to 83.4% in Italy, 65.8% in the United States and 63.8% in Spain.

Researchers noted that while other countries, similar to the UK, did not have an “established culture of face mask wearing,” they had clear policies on face coverings.

“People may rightly ask why you have to wear a mask on a train but not in a shop. If guidance is inconsistent people will follow their own preferences,” Ramakrishnan said.

“The message has not been clear enough so perhaps people do not really understand the benefits or are not convinced of them,” he added.
Many health officials around the world are saying we must wear masks if we want to keep the economy open and save tens of thousands of lives.

In June, the World Health Organization updated its recommendations, calling for nations to encourage the general public to wear fabric masks in areas where there continues to be intense spread of the novel coronavirus — and for all health workers and caregivers to wear medical masks throughout their shift while in clinical areas.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now says everyone “should wear a cloth face cover when they have to go out in public, for example to the grocery store or to pick up other necessities,” and in June, the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation said that if 95% of Americans wore face masks in public, it could prevent 33,000 deaths by October 1.

Amy Woodyatt, CNN

CNN’s Holly Yan and Jacqueline Howard contributed to this report.

• CNN. Updated 1336 GMT (2136 HKT) July 7, 2020:
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/07/health/mask-wearing-uk-intl-scli-gbr-wellness/index.html

---

 Coronavirus: Wear masks in crowded public spaces, says science body

Everyone should carry a face covering when they leave home in order to tackle coronavirus, the head of the UK’s national academy of science has said.

Prof Sir Venki Ramakrishnan, president of the Royal Society, said the coverings should then be worn “whenever you are in crowded public spaces”.

He said evidence shows they protect the wearer and those nearby, and the UK was “way behind” other countries in usage.

No 10 said the use of face masks is always kept “under review”.

Current guidance on face coverings varies across the UK, but Public Health England previously said they did not need to be worn outdoors.

Speaking as the Royal Society published two reports on face coverings, Prof Ramakrishnan said the public remained “sceptical” about their benefits because “the message has not been clear enough” and guidelines have been inconsistent.

He added: “What we would like for the government is to be a bit stronger and clearer about the messaging and require it whenever you are in crowded public spaces where you cannot get more than two metres away from the next person.”If you’re in a crowded setting, you ought to wear a mask."

There are mixed feelings among the experts on the government’s scientific advisory group, Sage, around the use of face coverings.

Some point to evidence that indicates coverings do not seem to slow the spread of flu when worn in Asian countries, and there are concerns they might give some a false sense of security.

But there is a consensus that they may reduce the risk of an infected person passing the virus on to someone else.

“We have been very clear about the benefits of people wearing face coverings,” said the prime minister’s official spokesman, following Prof Ramakrishnan’s comments.

“Face coverings can help us protect others and reduce the spread of the virus if people are infected but not showing symptoms.”

The Downing Street spokesman added that face coverings “should cover both the nose and mouth to reduce the spread of coronavirus droplets, helping to protect others”.

The government has said that face coverings can be made at home from cloth, and do not need to be hospital-standard masks.
What is the current guidance on face coverings?

Face coverings are compulsory on public transport in England, where they should also be worn in hospitals by staff, outpatients and visitors. People visiting shops are also advised, but not required, to cover their face if they judge that social distancing is not always possible.

In Scotland, masks are also mandatory on public transport, and will be in shops from 10 July.

People in Wales are being asked to wear non-medical face coverings where social distancing is not possible - including on public transport. But the government stopped short of making their use mandatory.

Plans to make wearing face masks on public transport compulsory in Northern Ireland have been put on hold, pending legal clarification.

You can read more on the use of face coverings in the UK here.
Media captionCoronavirus: How to wear a face covering

In late April, only about 25% of people in the UK wore face coverings, compared to 83.4% in Italy, 65.8% in the United States and 63.8% in Spain, according to one of the reports, which examined the factors limiting the take-up.

Not wearing a face covering should be regarded as “anti-social” in the same way as drink driving or failing to wear a seatbelt, Prof Ramakrishnan said.

“Not doing so increases the risk for everyone, from NHS workers to your grandmother,” he said.

The World Health Organization changed its advice on face coverings in June, saying they should be worn in public where social distancing is not possible to help stop the spread of coronavirus - but countries set their own guidelines and laws.

The WHO had previously argued there was not enough evidence to say that healthy people should wear masks, despite their widespread use in many countries.

Prof Paul Edelstein from the University of Pennsylvania, who wrote the other report which examined the effectiveness of masks and other coverings, said the evidence that they protected other people was “clearer all the time”, but there was also “some evidence” they protected the wearer.

“There are people without symptoms going about their daily business who are unknowingly breathing out droplets that are carrying the virus,” he said.

“If they had their faces covered the majority of those droplets would be caught before they can infect other people. Wearing face coverings can help save lives and prevent disabling illnesses.”

• BBC. July 7, 2020:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53316491

---

 Refusal to wear mask should be as taboo as drink-driving, says Royal Society chief

Refusing to wear a mask in public during the Covid-19 epidemic should become as socially unacceptable as drink-driving or not wearing a seatbelt, the president of the Royal Society has said.

He spoke as new research emerges suggesting the UK’s uptake of the practice is way behind that of other countries and that face coverings can protect the wearer as well as people around them.

Venki Ramakrishnan called for everyone to be required to wear a mask in all indoor public settings, rather than only on public transport, and criticised confused messaging from the government.

The head of the UK’s national academy of sciences spoke as two reports explored the effectiveness of masks. One, which updates work carried out by Data Evaluation and Learning for Viral Epidemics (DELVE), a multi-disciplinary group convened by the Royal Society, uncovered evidence that they could reduce the risk of transmission, providing benefits to the wearer as well as people around them.

Research suggested that, in April, wearing of masks in the UK was around 25%, compared to 83.4% in Italy, 65.8% in the United States and 63.8% in Spain. © Photograph: Xinhua/Rex/Shutterstock Research suggested that, in April, wearing of masks in the UK was around 25%, compared to…

The other by the Royal Society’s Science in Emergencies Tasking Covid-19 group, published jointly by the British Academy and the Royal Society, highlighted how far the UK is trailing behind other countries.

The research suggested that, in late April, uptake of mask-wearing in the UK was around 25%, compared to 83.4% in Italy, 65.8% in the United States and 63.8% in Spain, according to the Royal Society.

Ramakrishnan said: “Wearing a mask did not bother our Italian, French or Spanish neighbours; none of whom were used to wearing one before the pandemic, yet now do so routinely.

“So just treat it as another item of clothing that is part of the new normal and wear it whenever you cannot socially distance safely. It is the right thing to do, and a small price to pay, to help keep infections down and the economy open in the pandemic.”

Ramakrishnan added that many people were even ignoring the requirement to wear masks on public transport.

“The message has not been clear enough, so perhaps people do not really understand the benefits or are not convinced of them. Whatever the reasons, we need to overcome our reservations and wear face coverings whenever we are around others in public.

“It used to be quite normal to have quite a few drinks and drive home, and it also used to be normal to drive without seatbelts. Today, both of those would be considered antisocial, and not wearing face coverings in public should be regarded in the same way.

“If all of us wear one, we protect each other and thereby ourselves, reducing transmission. We lower the chances of future surges and lockdowns which are economically and psychologically disruptive, and we increase the chance of eliminating the virus. Not doing so increases the risk for everyone, from NHS workers to your grandmother.”

Last month both the World Health Organisation and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US issued updated guidance recommending that everyone wear face masks in public areas where there is a risk of transmission of Covid-19, to help reduce the spread of the disease.

Kevin Rawlinson

• The Guardian. 7 July 2020:
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/refusal-to-wear-mask-should-be-as-taboo-as-drink-driving-says-royal-society-chief/ar-BB16qgBA

---