April 16: Chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said: ‘The evidence is weak, but the evidence of a small effect is there under certain circumstances.’
April 21: Revealed in meeting minutes a month later, Sage advised: ‘On balance, there is enough evidence to support recommendation of community use of cloth face masks, for short periods in enclosed spaces, where social distancing is not possible.’
April 23: Dr Jenny Harries said there could be ‘a very, very small potential beneficial effect in some enclosed environments’.
April 24: Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: ‘On masks, as more information comes through, the science is constantly evolving and we always bear in mind that science and then take the decision. As of today, the government position is unchanged.’
April 30: Boris Johnson said: ‘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.’
May 20: Researchers in Hong Kong found face masks reduced infection by up to 75 per cent.
June 4: Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced that face coverings will be mandatory on public transport from June 15. He said: ‘With more people using transport the evidence suggests wearing face coverings offers some – albeit limited – protection against the spread for the virus.’
June 5: Health Secretary Matt Hancock revealed plans to make face coverings compulsory in hospitals for all staff, visitors and outpatients from June 15, but a furious NHS boss said the decision was made ‘without any notice or consultation’. Meanwhile, Grant Shapps said masks would not be required in other settings such as shops because people spend little time in close proximity.
June 12: German study suggests making face masks compulsory could slow the spread of Covid-19 by as much as 40 per cent.
July 10: The PM says the government ‘needs to be stricter in insisting people wear face coverings in confined spaces’. A government source later briefs that it is a ‘fair assumption’ that masks will become mandatory in shops and other indoor settings within a few weeks.
July 12: Michael Gove says masks will not be compulsory in shops in England, insisting it is best to ‘trust’ the public and wearing a face covering is a matter of ‘good manners’.
July 13: Mr Johnson says an announcement will be made ‘in the coming days’ on upgrading the advice on using face coverings.
