Government Guidance: Staying safe outside your home - Face Coverings (5th June)

 

Government are clearly stating it is our responsibility to adopt these principles wherever possible.

The government is also using these principles as the basis of discussions with businesses, unions, local government and many other stakeholders, to agree how the principles should apply in different settings to make them safer.

All of us, as customers, visitors, employees or employers need to make changes to lower the risk of transmission of the virus.

The government goes onto add that it has consulted with its scientific advisers to establish the principles that will determine these changes.

10. Face coverings

• You must wear a face covering at all times on public transport or when attending a hospital as a visitor or outpatient.

  • Hospitals will be able to provide a face covering in emergencies.

• If you can, you should also wear a face covering in other enclosed public spaces where social distancing isn’t possible and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet.

  • This is most relevant for short periods indoors in crowded areas.

  • You should be prepared to remove your face covering if asked to do so by police officers and staff for the purposes of identification.

• Evidence suggests that wearing a face covering does not protect you.

  • However, if you are infected but have not yet developed symptoms, it may provide some protection for others you come into close contact with

• Face coverings do not replace social distancing.

  • If you have symptoms of COVID-19 (cough, and/or high temperature, and/or loss of, or change in, your normal sense of smell or taste - anosmia), you and your household must isolate at home: wearing a face covering does not change this.

  • You should arrange to have a test to see if you have COVID-19.

• A face covering is not the same as the surgical masks or respirators used by healthcare and other workers as part of personal protective equipment.

  • These should continue to be reserved for those who need them to protect against risks in their workplace, such as health and care workers, and those in industrial settings, like those exposed to dust hazards.

• Face coverings should not be used by children under the age of 3 or those who may find it difficult to manage them correctly.

• It is important to use face coverings properly and wash your hands before putting them on and taking them off.

• You can make face-coverings at home. The key thing is it should cover the mouth and nose.