World Health Organisation Calls For Wearing Face Masks Where Social Distancing Not Possible

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has updated its guidance on wearing masks in public to help limit the spread of coronavirus.

Speaking during a virtual briefing this afternoon, WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said governments should encourage people to wear masks in shops, on public transport, and areas where social distancing is not possible.

He said people aged 60 and over, or those with underlying health issues, should wear medical masks in situations where social distancing was not possible.

But he added: "Masks alone will not protect you from COVID-19; they are not a replacement for hand hygiene and social distancing."

The WHO previously stressed there was no evidence that wearing a mask - whether medical or other types - by healthy persons in the wider community could prevent them from infection with respiratory viruses.