Brits still don't wear face masks: Nobel winner

July 07, 2020 14:43

UK PM Boris Johnson

Nobel laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, one of the UK's most prominent scientists and President of the Royal Society, on Tuesday warned that the country is lagging behind others in the mandatory use of face masks to prevent the rapid spread of coronavirus.

Professor Venki, as the Indian-origin structural biologist is known, said that no one should leave home without a face covering and believes it is time that face masks in indoor public settings, where physical distancing is tougher, are seen in the same light as not driving when drunk or without seatbelts.

The UK is way behind many countries in terms of wearing masks and clear policies and guidelines about mask wearing for the public. The public have taken to handwashing and distancing but remain sceptical about face coverings, he said.

It used to be quite normal to have quite a few drinks and drive home, and it also used to be normal to drive without seatbelts. Today both of those would be considered antisocial, and not wearing face coverings in public should be regarded in the same way, he said.

Prof. Venki, who also chairs a committee of high-level experts to analyse emerging data from countries around the world to identify the most important factors that can help slow the spread of coronavirus as well as find long-term solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic, believes that alongside hand washing and physical distancing, face coverings are equally crucial to prevent a feared second wave of the pandemic in Britain.

His message comes as a new review of evidence reinforces the benefits of face coverings and even suggests they may protect the wearer as well as those around them.

However, the British public remain much less likely to wear face coverings in public compared to other countries, including the US and India. In the UK, face coverings are only compulsory on public transport but even that rule is flouted often due to the lack of strict enforcement. -- PTI

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