Coronavirus: Government face mask advice ‘too little too late’
The IndependentSign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Doctors, unions and opposition politicians have questioned why it has taken more than two months for the government to make face coverings compulsory on public transport and called for the policy to be extended to all places where social distancing is not possible. Speaking after the government on Thursday, BMA council chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul said: “These important measures should not be restricted to public transport but to all areas where social distancing is not always possible – the risk will be much less if the public adopts this now – not mid-June.” Dr Nagpaul also said the government should ensure the public are supplied with face coverings, as well as providing advice on how to wear them correctly. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he had been lobbying the government to introduce mandatory face coverings for “two months”, adding he didn’t implement the measures in London for fear of confusing the government’s national message. Khan also said the government was “wrong” not to make face coverings compulsory in the wider public and called for their use in crowded spaces such as shops.