No ‘mandatory’ face covering rule in Wales but Welsh Gov say ‘it may protect other people from the risk of you infecting them’

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This article is old - Published: Monday, May 11th, 2020

The voluntary use of face coverings in “non-domestic settings” in Wales has been acknowledged by Welsh Government, while Public Health England issue instructions on how to make one from a t-shirt.

Although seeing people wearing face masks in settings such as on public transport and in shops is now not uncommon, the previous advice to the public has been that science doesn’t show an increased benefit.

Last week we asked the First Minister on the topic reported on how Mark Drakeford replied he was awaiting further advice from the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Wales on whether the wearing of face-coverings in public had any benefit, with the Health Minister also previously commenting.

This afternoon at the Welsh Government’s daily press conference, we asked Mr Drakeford if Wales would be following a similar path outlined by Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who this morning confirmed that the UK Government would be advising the use of face coverings in certain settings from Wednesday.

The First Minister said that the advice from the CMO was that there was a “marginal” public health case for the use of non-medical face coverings in “non-domestic” settings.

He said: “It doesn’t protect you the wearer from anybody else, but it may protect other people from the risk of you infecting them.

“The advice I have is that we should not consider making it mandatory because the evidence is not strong enough for that.

“But where people feel that this would be something that would offer them confidence, the case is there for them to do it, provided, first of all, that is is a non-medical face covering so we’re not competing for face masks with people who need them in clinical settings. And secondly, that people don’t take a false confidence from doing it.

“If you are symptomatic, if you are covering coughing and spluttering, you should not be out and wearing a non-medical face covering is not an excuse to do something that would be risky.”

“So provided we do it in that way, if people feel that it would be the right thing for them to do give them confidence to use facilities that are available, then the advice to them in Wales is they should go ahead and do that.”

The advice echoes that of the UK Government, which this afternoon published a “framework” outlining how lockdown measures will begin to be lifted in England.

The 51 page UK government document includes guidelines on the use of face-coverings in public places, including how they should be worn and by who.

It states: “As more people return to work, there will be more movement outside people’s immediate household.

“This increased mobility means the Government is now advising that people should aim to wear a face-covering in enclosed spaces where social distancing is not always possible and they come into contact with others that they do not normally meet, for example on public transport or in some shops.

“Homemade cloth face-coverings can help reduce the risk of transmission in some circumstances. Face-coverings are not intended to help the wearer, but to protect agains inadvertent transmission of the disease to others if you have it asymptomatically.

“A face covering is not the same as a facemask such as the surgical masks or respirators used as part of personal protective equipment by healthcare and other workers. These supplies must continue to be reserved for those who need it. Face-coverings should not be used by children under the age of two, or those who may find it difficult to manage them correctly, for example primary age children unassisted, or those with respiratory conditions. It is important to use facecoverings properly and wash your hands before putting them on and taking them off.”

Public Health England have published this guide today on how to make a face covering from a t-shirt, or how to create a sewn cloth face covering.

You can watch the full briefing from today below, including the Q&A session at the end :