Today is the first day of the Covid-19 pandemic in England when you must wear a mask if you go shopping.
Up to now ministers and health and scientific advisors have played fast and loose with facial coverings. Judgements on their merit and usefulness have waxed and waned from the ‘yeah, but no, but yeah’ of some, to the complex virology of ‘better on than off’ of others. It was a mess.
But now, nearly six months on, they are a legally enforceable must. Failure to wear one could land you with a £100 twang of a fine on the elastic on the mask you should have donned before setting off to the shops – or the bank, or any other enclosed space of exchange or consumption.
Seeking some medical authority on the matter, I asked the Chair of the BMA’s Public Health Medicine Committee, Dr Peter English, a guest on my TalkRadio show on Friday.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in