12 2GM Tuesday July 21 2020 | the times
News
Masks do help to protect the wearer, as
well as people they meet, according to
research by infectious disease experts.
A report from a team at the Univers-
Wearing mask ‘reduces
deadly power of virus’
Kat Lay Health Correspondent
Kaya Burgess
Religious Affairs Correspondent
ity of California, San Francisco, says
that masks can reduce the amount of
virus that gets into someone’s system,
meaning they do not get as badly sick.
In England, face coverings are man-
datory on public transport and will be-
come so in shops and supermarkets
from July 24. The requirement appearsto have strong public support, with only
19 per cent of Britons opposing compul-
sory wearing of masks in shops, accord-
ing to a survey last week by the research
company ORB International.
The paper is due to be published in
the Journal of Internal Medicine but was
made available in advance by the re-searchers. Monica Gandhi, one of the
study’s co-authors, who is associate div-
ision chief of the infectious diseases
programme at San Francisco General
Hospital, said: “You will get in a lower
dose of virus if you wear a mask and are
exposed to Covid-19 and are very likely
to have mild or no symptoms.”
She told The Times that her research
suggested the government should go
further in its recommendations for the
wearing of face coverings. “The re-
search suggests that we should go to-
wards universal population-level
masking to control infections and to
limit the severity of disease.”
That would include wearing masks in
workplaces where employees did not
each have a private office, she said. Matt
Hancock, the health secretary, has said
masks do not have a role to play in in-
fection control in offices.
Under the “theory of viral inoculum”,
a lower initial dose of Sars-Cov-2 gives
the immune system a better chance of
fighting the disease. The paper draws
on evidence suggesting that masks
reduce the amount of viral droplets that
get through to the wearer’s airways.
One study, in hamsters, showed that
animals exposed to the virus through a
surgical mask partition had milder
cases of Covid-19. Outbreaks on cruise
ships where passengers wore masks
typically resulted in higher rates of
asymptomatic, or milder infection, the
report says.
The authors concluded: “Exposing
society to Sars-Cov-2 without the
consequences of severe illness with
public masking could lead to greater
community-level immunity and slower
spread as we await a vaccine.”
Some scientists continue to argue
that masks give people a false sense of
security. They point to a lack of high-
quality trials investigating their use.
None of the evidence in the new
paper comes from controlled trials in
humans, because of ethical concerns
about deliberately exposing volunteers
to different doses of the virus.
Many proponents of masks say the
government should make them com-
pulsory in all indoor settings. The
Church of England is expected to ad-
vise its congregations to wear masks in
the pews. As well as outlining the re-
quirement for masks on transport and,
from July 24, in shops, official guidance
now also states: “People are also en-
couraged to wear face coverings in en-
closed public spaces where there are
people they do not normally meet, such
as a place of worship.”
A church spokesman said yesterday
that its own guidance was “being updat-
ed in light of this”. The church did go
further than following government ad-
vice when it banned priests from places
of worship — a move that was criticised
by members of the General Synod last
week — but it is not expected to make
masks mandatory for worshippers.
The church has advised that the risk
of transmission during communion is
“relatively low especially if face cover-
ings are worn” and says in its latest gui-
dance that churches should be “using
protective screens and face coverings”
but adds that this is voluntary.
The Muslim Council of Britain has
advised mosques to consider providing
“facemasks for worshippers without
their own” while the United Synagogue
has made them mandatory for Jewish
worshippers.
Leading article, page 31
Work from home until 2021, page 37The study says that masks, as worn byNews Coronavirus
How the world covers up
spain
Masks are mandatory for everyone
aged over six on public transport
and in public places where a
distance of 1.5 metres cannot be
guaranteed. However, 12 of 16
regions have made them
obligatory under any
circumstances in public.france
Masks are now mandatory in all
indoor public places amid signs of
a rise in coronavirus cases.
Under the measures imposed by
President Macron’s government,
masks became obligatory
yesterday for anyone over the age
of 11 in shops, shopping centres,
banks, indoor markets and public
sector buildings.
Those who fail to obey are liable
to a fine of €135 (£120) for a first
offence but serial offenders could
be jailed.
The move extended the lengthy
list of places where masks have
been compulsory since lockdown
was eased on May 11, including
public transport, museums,
libraries, circus tents, river cruise
boats, casinos, mountain refuges
and places of worship.italy
Face coverings must be worn in