The question of who should be wearing face masks is due to be assessed by a panel of advisers to the World Health Organization (WHO). The group will weigh up research on whether the virus can be projected further than previously thought after a study in the US suggested coughs can reach six metres and sneezes up to eight metres.

The WHO currently advises people who are sick and show symptoms should wear masks, as well as anyone who is caring for them.

Professor David Heymann, who is chairing the panel, warned face masks may not always offer protection because some people wear them incorrectly or don’t dispose of them properly.

In a briefing on Sky News he said: “There is right now a debate about the usefulness of masks because Hong Kong has provided some evidence that masks may be useful in protecting individuals from infection.
“It’s not clear yet whether or not that’s true.

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“WHO, the group that I work with, is debating that with a group of experts around the world… to understand whether there is evidence which would call for a change in what WHO is recommending now for masks – which is that they really don’t have a major role in protecting people from infection except in healthcare workers where they also wear eye protection and they also have a role from protecting others from coughs or sneezing.

“But as the evidence becomes available, it seems there will be a debate trying to decide whether masks play a role at some point in the outbreak.

“And believe me, if they do, there is a private sector healthy enough to begin producing those masks in quantities necessary.”

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The Centre for Disease Control in America, the Telegraph reported today, is also due to change its advice regarding whether masks help stop the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19.

The UK Government and the NHS have long taken the view that masks do not need to be worn.

Masks are widely worn in Asia even when there is no pandemic to speak of, although this is largely down to varying anecdotal cultural beliefs and differences as opposed to being based on scientific evidence.

There is very little evidence to support the idea that face masks prevent mass infection of diseases.

Do I need to wear a face mask?

For those not on the front line, preventative measures like washing your hands frequently, avoiding touching your face, and staying away from sick people are, according to UK government advice, the most effective way to protect yourself from infection.

Following social distancing guidelines as put in place by the Government is also necessary and helps to bring down the number of cases.

It remains to be seen what the WHO will say and whether governments around the world will change their advice.

Since the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December, nearly a million people have been infected worldwide, with an estimated death toll of almost 50,000.

The UK has seen a huge influx of infections in the past two days, rising by over 8000 cases.

There have been 2921 deaths as of April 2.

Italy and Spain are currently the two worst affected, with Spain totalling almost thousand new deaths in the last 24 hours.

However, the spread has begun to slow in some parts of the world, with China reporting fewer new cases in previously heavily affected areas.

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