The University of East Anglia found that masking up brings no real protection against catching coronavirus, the practice of which has been under debate since the pandemic began in Wuhan.

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Should I be wearing a face mask?

The evidence is not strong enough to recommend widespread use of masks in the general population, said the University of East Anglia (UEA).

The general advice given across the world is people don't buy up the stock of medical-grade masks as there is a global shortage and medics need it more than the average Joe.

World Health Organisation official guidance says people need only to wear masks if they have Covid-19 symptoms or are caring for someone who does.

It adds: “WHO advises rational use of medical masks to avoid unnecessary wastage of precious resources.”

The British Government has stuck to the WHO advice as it is impossible to supply everyone in the UK with medical grade masks anyway due to the shortage.

However, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has said that it wouldn't hurt for people to wear non-medical grade masks.

Chief ­Scientific Advisor Sir Patrick Vallance shot down the idea saying "It’s absolutely crucial that masks are available in hospitals and in other settings which are high risk of transmission.

“That’s where the evidence is very strong that they do work.”

The UEA researchers found "there is enough evidence to support vulnerable people using them for short periods when in temporary higher risk situations – such as on public transport, visiting shops or in healthcare settings".

They delved into data on whether using a face mask reduces the spread of illnesses with Covid-19-like symptoms such as fever and cough/sore throat or other respiratory infection symptoms.

Overall, the study found that the evidence was "too uncertain and the possible protective effects too small to recommend widespread use of face masks to protect against Covid-19.

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"For the general population, the best way to protect yourself and others is to follow the government guidelines for social distance and wash your hands regularly," the UEA added.

Lead researcher Dr Julii Brainard said that those who wore masks, usually surgical grade, "were less likely to get respiratory symptoms from casual exposure in the community.

"Something like a sneeze or cough near you would become less likely to cause infection.

"It’s a small reduction in risk, but might be very important to especially vulnerable people.

Wearing masks at home also seemed to reduce the odds of well housemates become ill – and there was a 19 per cent risk reduction if both an ill person and their well contacts wore masks.

But, as people have lots of repeated types of contact in a home setting, there are "many ways for the germs to transmit. This is why washing hands remains so important," the researcher advised.

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She said that one of the problems of widespread use of the facial protection is that, "it's difficult to wear masks correctly for many hours over many days.

"They can be uncomfortable, hot, cause skin reactions or simply feel anti-social.

"Masks also need to be disposed of correctly to prevent transmission.

“And of course, wearing a mask interferes with things like sleep, eating and brushing teeth. It’s impossible to keep them on all the time."

She added: “We found that wearing face masks was also not that protective during large gatherings."

The UEA points out that mass buying by the public has created a shortage for healthcare workers, including those risking their lives on the frontline in hospitals.

With a shortage of protective gear, including face masks, there's been a rising tally of NHS staff dying after treating coronavirus patients.

What is the UK government and NHS advice?

Brits will not be required to wear masks in public despite a host of other nations including the US changing their advice.

That's because the UK believes there is very little evidence of widespread benefit for members of the public.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that the Government's health advisers had not told him to change the UK’s approach to members of the public wearing face masks.

He said there was little evidence to show that masks help and would be better used by healthcare workers and patients who test positive.

Is mask advice different in other countries?

The UK's stance is at odds with an increasing number of countries now advising their citizens to wear some form of face covering when they head outdoors.

The US has changed its stance and is preparing to formalise new guidance to recommend Americans cover their mouth with items such as bandanas, snoods, scarves, T-shirts or homemade cloth if they cannot access a mask.

Officials in New York City are already urging people to wear masks when they go outside.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said coverings for the nose and mouth can be "real homegrown" and made from a scarf or bandana.

Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti has also encouraged his city's residents to cover their faces when out in public.

Austria said on April 6 that it would start reopening shops from next week – but it widened a requirement to wear face masks.

On April 3, the World Health Organisation reiterated that medical masks should be prioritised for health workers.

But it opened the door to greater public use of homemade masks or other mouth coverings as a way to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

Dr Mike Ryan, the WHO’s top emergencies expert, told reporters: "The idea of using respiratory coverings or mouth coverings to prevent coughing or sneezing projecting disease into the environment and towards others … that in itself is not a bad idea.”

A few days later, however, WHO backtracked by saying the wearing of medical masks by the general public could exacerbate the shortage for health workers on the front lines of the Covid-19 pandemic.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Gheybresus told reporters: “We are concerned that the mass use of medical masks by the general population could exacerbate the shortage of these specialised masks for the people who need them most.

“Masks alone cannot stop the pandemic, countries must continue to find, test, isolate and treat every case and trace every contact.”

Cellular microbiology expert Dr Simon Clarke, University of Reading, welcomed the WHO review as “inappropriate use of masks could lead to a false sense of security and cause people to neglect other, essential hygiene and distancing measures. 

“The advice remains that anyone with symptoms should wear a mask, but the UK goes beyond that by telling infected people to stay at home. 

“It remains the case that your front door will contain the virus much more effectively than any face mask."

Do homemade masks protect against coronavirus?

In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises ”the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others.  

"Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure."

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Although the CDC recommends wearing cloth masks, UEA researchers said "there’s very little scientific evidence showing cloth masks protect people from respiratory illnesses.

"Cloth masks have large pores and allow moist air circulation – which means cloth masks are less likely to stop virus contaminated droplets from getting through."

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