Scientists tell people to wear masks to prevent infection

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has been demanding that all Londoners should wear face masks to prevent the spread and exposure of coronavirus.

He told Londoners last week that they should be obligated to wear face masks whilst in public, and his decision is based on scientific guidance.

Speaking to the BBC Khan said, “I am hopeful that the advice from scientists will change.

“The evidence around the world is that this is effective.

“I am lobbying our government, our advisers to change their advice and I want us to do that sooner rather than later.”

Aerosol and diagnosis specialists ANCON Medical are urging people should be wearing masks to prevent infection to others as well as yourself.

Boris Gorbunov, Technical Director of ANCON Medical said, “This modelling reinforces what we have heard from leading scientific figures around the world on the prevalence of the airborne spread of coronavirus.

“Face masks show substantial reductions in the concentration of aerosol particles generated by sneezing or coughing, particularly at distances more than 10m.

“The results indicate that when a person who may or may not be carrying the virus wears a mask, the number of droplets with coronavirus which are emitted by coughing and sneezing is reduced by more than 10 times.

“Additionally, a healthy individual wearing a mask reduces the infection transmission considerably, practically to zero.”

Previously, the UK’s health minister Helen Whately has said that the use of face masks in public is not “recommended” and what it is important, is “handwashing.”

LondonLovesBusiness spoke to a doctor, who said, face masks “are only really helpful for airborne infections, which the coronavirus is not.

“If you buy the cheaper masks and change them over when they become wet [they are then not effective]they are good enough to avoid you putting your hands to your mouth and avoid catching any droplets in the air from someone sneezing or coughing.

“The masks are only really needed if you are in busy areas with lots of people in close proximity.”

However, the health minister told the BBC, “The advice I have been given is that members of the public are not particularly recommended to use face masks.

“They may be used by clinicians but actually they are not something that is recommended for the general public.

“The important thing is the handwashing advice and the use of tissues.”