Public Health England
Should I wear a face mask?
'Close contacts and members of the public are not currently advised to wear face masks.
Facemasks play a very important role in clinical settings, such as hospitals. However, there is very little evidence of widespread benefit from their use outside of these clinical settings. If used facemasks must be worn correctly, changed frequently, removed properly, disposed of safely and used in combination with good universal hygiene behaviour for them to be effective. Research also shows that compliance with these recommended behaviours reduces over time when wearing facemasks for prolonged periods.'
