Only a third of UK adults wearing face masks outside their home

Only one third of UK adults are wearing face masks outside their home, despite government guidance, official figures show.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) yesterday published data revealing that  almost three in 10 adults (29 per cent) have worn a face covering outside of their homes in the past seven days in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Earlier this month the Government issued new guidance urging the public to wear face masks in crowded places, such as supermarkets.

The ONS data also showed that for those that had worn a face covering, the most common situation was whilst shopping (67 per cent), followed by exercising outdoors and running errands (both 20 per cent).

Regardless of whether they had worn a face covering in the past, over 4 in 10 adults (41 per cent) said they were either very or fairly likely to wear one in the next seven days.

New research has also suggested that wearing face masks at home might help curb the spread of coronavirus among members in the same household, but only before symptoms develop.

The study of Chinese families in Beijing found the practice was 79 per cent effective at stopping the spread of transmission before symptoms emerged in the first person infected.

However, according to the paper published in the BMJ Global Health journal, wearing face masks at home was not protective once Covid-19 symptoms began to show.

The researchers wrote: "Results demonstrate the importance of pre-symptomatic infectiousness of Covid-19 patients and shows that wearing masks after illness onset does not protect."

A face mask worn before symptoms started was 79 per cent effective, and disinfection 77 per cent effective, at stopping the virus from being passed on.