Woman cuts a hole in her face mask as it makes it 'easier to breathe' in Kentucky, USA

We are expecting more guidance this week on whether or not we should be wearing face masks to protect ourselves or other people from coronavirus. Under current guidelines, people are not advised to wear them unless they have symptoms of Covid-19 or are treating a patient. However, there have been calls for this to be changed, with evidence in some countries suggesting they can act as a defence against catching the virus when out and about. If the new advice is that we should be wearing them when we’re out and about it’s probably a good idea not to take a leaf out of this woman’s book. She was filmed going into a shop with a hole cut out of her mask and, when asked where she got it from, she responded that it makes it a lot easier to breathe. It’s probably worth pointing out that it makes the mask completely useless.

Last week Boris Johnson returned to work and, in his first daily press briefing he said face masks could be useful, not just for disease control, but also for giving people a sense of safety while using public transport. He said: ‘I think what SAGE is saying, and what I certainly agree with, is that as part of coming out of the lockdown, I do think that face coverings will be useful, both for epidemiological reasons but also for giving people confidence that they can go back to work, and you be hearing more about that next week.’