Face covering confusion. Are masks preventative or political?

Face covering confusion. Are masks preventative or political?

Will making face covering compulsory help stop Covid19 spreading? Have you found the government advice confusing? If so, does it make you more likely to comply?

There has been a lot written and spoken in the media about face coverings, right from the start of the pandemic. Now that they have become mandatory in England, does the case for them really stand up? What do you think? Comment 💬 Like ❤️ Reply 🙂 below.

Face coverings became compulsory in England on 24th July in shops and other public spaces.

However, confusion regarding where and when a mask is required is still rife, especially given the differing rules in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, where masks have been mandatory in some settings but not others.

Unsurprisingly, there are questions regarding the timing of this new measure. Scotland and Northern Ireland imposed masks in certain settings on July 10th, but in Wales, masks weren’t compulsory until 27th July, and then only on public transport, not in shops like England and Scotland.

Why would the government seek to make face coverings mandatory at a time when the virus is receding, and infection rates are low?

Although the Health Secretary made the announcement on 14th July, the new regulations were only published on Thursday 23rd July, less than 24 hours before they were due to come into force.

Do you think that this was a purposeful act on behalf of the Government to avoid scrutiny, especially given the number of contradictions emanating from government figures and various briefings?

Several supermarket chains have stated that they will not enforce this edict, and various Police forces have stated that they do not have the manpower to enforce it either.

Given the high levels of compliance from people during the early stages of the lockdown, was it a reasonable assumption on the Government’s behalf that people would comply with these new rules as well?

There are also well-founded concerns regarding the effectiveness of masks in stopping the spread of the virus.

Why did the Government not impose the wearing of masks during the height of the pandemic, when infection and mortality rates were much higher?

Also, given the recent resurgence of Covid19 in Europe and the re-imposition of quarantine for travellers coming from certain countries, do you think that compulsory face masks will be with us for the foreseeable future?

We would love to hear what you think about face masks in the comments.

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