Doctor Hilary Jones hit back at a Good Morning Britain who messaged the show, telling her that she could be putting people at risk as a result of her attitude to wearing a protective face mask.
Speculation has been rife over the past few days that the Government could be about to make face coverings mandatory after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was considering making masks compulsory in shops and other enclosed spaces.
There has been confusion since the PM's statement on Friday after Michael Gove, the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said that instead it would be left to the public to "use common sense" when it came to wearing them.
The issue was debated by Dr Hilary and other health experts on Monday's Good Morning Britain and host Ben Shephard read out a message from a viewer called Nicola, who said: “‘I would not wear a mask! As long as I wash my hands, don’t cough and keep a distance, I feel as if I’m doing enough!’”
An unimpressed Dr Hilary replied: "She is potentially putting other people at risk - we could say she is being selfish and feels well, and if everyone felt well and nobody wore masks, the infection rate would increase.
“It’s like a musketeer thing - we all do it or don’t bother!”
Dr Hilary added: "...there’s now growing evidence that the virus could be airborne, rather than transmitted in droplets and therefore wearing a mask could trap some of the virus particles in droplets if someone is a-sympathetic and potentially transmitting the virus.
“So that element of evidence has changed - if we’re going to make it obligatory to wear masks on public transport, it makes no sense to not do that in public spaces or areas where people can’t socially distance."
