Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the evidence base for wearing facemasks during the covid-19 outbreak is kept up to date.
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies and Public Health England (PHE) regularly monitor and review the international evidence on the effectiveness of face coverings. PHE has also undertaken rapid reviews of the evidence related to the effectiveness of face coverings in the community for reducing the transmission of COVID-19 with the latest update in January 2021.