New Scientist via Instapundit
Everyone in the UK should wear a face covering, the president of the Royal Society has said. In a statement published today, Venki Ramakrishnan said people should have face coverings with them when they leave their home and should always wear them in crowded public spaces, "particularly indoors in enclosed public spaces where physical distancing is often not possible."
The Nobel prize-winning biologist also said that the UK is way behind other countries when it comes to wearing masks. "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," he said. "As we lift lockdown and people increasingly interact with each other we need to use every tool we have to reduce the risk of a second wave of infection," he said. Ramakrishnan said not wearing a face mask should be regarded as antisocial, and that the messaging on face coverings in the UK hasn’t been strong or clear enough.
The comments came as an independent group of researchers convened by the Royal Society — called Data Evaluation and Learning for Viral Epidemics (DELVE) — published an updated report on mask wearing. The report says there is growing evidence supporting the use of masks in all circumstances where it isn’t possible for people to stay more than one meter apart. This is in line with World Health Organization guidelines updated in June.
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