Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the level of protection provided against new covid variants by standard surgical face masks currently used by the NHS; whether he plans to upgrade nursing staff to higher grade face masks; and if he will make a statement.

The personal protective equipment recommended for use in the National Health Service, including face masks, is dependent upon the setting and procedure being undertaken. These recommendations are set out in the infection prevention and control guidance (IPC), which was updated on 21 January and is available on GOV.UK.

A peer review has been undertaken by an expert group of clinicians to assess the new variant strains. The evidence review has not identified a change in the mode of transmission between the variants and previous circulating strains of COVID-19. Accordingly, there are no changes to the recommendations set out in the IPC guidance at this time. Emerging evidence and data on variant strains will be continually monitored and reviewed, and the guidance amended accordingly if needed.