WALES will consider changing its rules on wearing face masks as a way of preventing the spread of Covid-19, first minister Mark Drakeford said today.
Such a policy would follow England's lead, after the Department for Transport announced new rules yesterday making it mandatory to wear face masks on public transport there.
But speaking at today's daily Welsh Government coronavirus briefing, Mr Drakeford said Wales would not be "rushed" into a decision simply to follow the UK government's lead.
He also expressed concerns people may take extra risks if they – mistakenly – thought wearing a mask would stop them contracting Covid-19.
Mr Drakeford said the policy in Wales would remain the decision of Welsh ministers, based on the advice of the chief medical officer, Frank Atherton.
Currently there are no rules in Wales on wearing – or not wearing – a protective face mask in public places.
The new rules in England will come into force on June 15, and Mr Drakeford said that would give Welsh ministers time to weigh up a change in policy.
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The debate over mask-wearing is older than the Covid-19 pandemic, and the World Health Organisation said at the start of the outbreak that "there is currently no evidence that wearing a mask... by healthy persons in the wider community setting, including universal community masking, can prevent them from infection with respiratory viruses, including Covid-19".
This week, however, British Medical Association (BMA) council chairman, Dr Chaand Nagpaul, supported mask-wearing and said face coverings “should not be restricted to public transport”.
He added: “The BMA recently advocated the wearing of face coverings by the public several weeks ago in areas where they cannot socially distance and believes it is right that people should be required to wear face coverings on public transport."
But Mr Drakeford said Wales would not be "rushed into an immediate decision".
He said questions remained over how prolonged mask-wearing might affect people with asthma, and would also inconvenience deaf people who normally relied on lip-reading.
The first minister said Dr Atherton had also expressed "anxieties" that people might be tempted to "do more risky things because they think a face mask offers them protection – which it doesn't".
He added: "To be clear to people: if you are symptomatic, please don't leave your home and please don't think that wearing a face mask is sufficient protection for you to override that basic advice."
Mr Drakeford said the Welsh Government would make a "definitive" statement on mask-wearing early next week.
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