The health secretary is plain wrong when he says face masks do not work in offices because “you’re there for a long time” with other people (Senior doctors warn second coronavirus wave could ‘devastate’ NHS, 19 July). The risk of transmission of Covid-19 is directly related to viral load and exposure time, so the longer you spend in an aerosol-rich environment such as a poorly ventilated office with someone who is infected, the greater the risk.
If masks don’t work because people share the same space for a long time, why is it mandatory for hundreds of thousands of healthcare workers to wear them all day at work? Yes, masks can be uncomfortable, they may become damp and need changing, but they are an indispensable tool alongside hand-washing and distancing in indoor environments, which is where most Covid-19 outbreaks occur.
If we do not rapidly change official advice on both masks and the need for proper ventilation, many workplaces will remain Covid-unsafe and help drive the second wave, with all that means for thousands of lives lost and damage to the economy.
Dr Helen Davison, Dr Finola O’Neill and Dr Jonathan Fluxman
Masks4All UK campaign
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