Warrington named as one of top five places where people are less likely to wear face masks

A new study has revealed Warrington as one of the top five places in the country where people are likely to avoid wearing face masks during the coronavirus crisis.

Research published today by The N95 Mask Company reveals the nation’s mask-wearing intentions as the United Kingdom eagerly awaits the Government’s ‘roadmap out of lockdown’ announcement.
The UK Mask Map highlights the top five cities and towns in the UK where people are planning to embrace face masks and the top five areas where masks are more likely to be shunned. It also reveals mask-wearing trends across the UK, by region.
Cities including Durham, London and Newcastle ranked highest for their mask-wearing intentions, whereas Leicester, Dudley, Wrexham and Warrington had the lowest rates for people intending to wear masks.

The map of the UK displays the regions that will be donning face masks and those that will not be entertaining the idea. Greater London (76%), North East England (68%) and Wales (61%) were the top areas for mask-wearing, with the South East (56%), East England (52%) and the East Midlands (50%) ranking lowest in terms of their mask-wearing intentions.

Earlier this week 14 top scientists from the prestigious Royal Society put an end to the mask debate, confirming, based on scientific evidence, that face masks are an important tool for fighting the coronavirus.[1] Face masks are already central to the lockdown exit strategies of many countries where wearing face masks is now mandatory in public, however the UK Government is yet to set rules on mask-wearing.

According to the survey of 2,000 UK adults, three in five adults said they would wear a mask (61%) in public to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and, reassuringly, 95 percent would wear one if they presented coronavirus symptoms.

Top five towns and cities embracing face masks are:
Durham = 78% will wear
London = 75% will wear
Newcastle upon Tyne = 76% will wear
Dundee = 74% will wear
Derry = 71% will wear

Top five towns and cities avoiding face masks are:
Leicester = 68% won’t wear
Dudley = 60% won’t wear
Wrexham = 56% won’t wear
Southampton = 55% won’t wear
Warrington = 54% won’t wear

NHS GP and Clinical Advisor to The N95 Mask Company, Dr Gero Baiarda comments on the findings: “It’s concerning that so many people are actively choosing not to wear any face-covering at all to protect themselves and others, despite the latest government advice being that covering the face could play an important part in the fight against the further spread of Covid-19. I suspect the widespread use of masks by the public will be integral to the gradual easing of UK lockdown restrictions as they have been in other countries globally.
“It is without doubt that there are a number of physical and psychological barriers to wearing masks, but these must be put aside in the interest of our health. My advice to everyone is to wear a face mask whenever you might come into close proximity with other people outside of your own home – this could be in an open or closed space. If you find yourself having to consciously maintain a two-metre distance, you should be wearing a mask.
“When choosing a mask, it is important to ensure there is a tight seal with no gaps as this will maximise the protection it provides.”
Ayrton Campbell, Founder of The N95 Mask Company comments on the current PPE crisis in the UK: “Our ambition is to ensure everyone in the UK has access to a steady supply of effective face masks. We have offered our entire stock and supply infrastructure support to the NHS, and should they decide to accept at any point we will revert to supplying the NHS as a priority.”
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), which advises the government, recently passed its latest advice to ministers on whether the public should be wearing masks. But no new guidance has been issued and the government said it was looking at the information from the scientists.
Speaking to MPs May 5 Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK government’s chief scientific adviser, said wearing face masks had a “marginal but positive” impact on the spread of infection and there may be times when it could be “beneficial” for people to do so.
“Where masks may have a role is where distancing isn’t possible, where there might be undue crowding,” he added.
Sir Patrick, who is part of Sage, says social distancing and hand washing are vital and that wearing a mask should not replace either.
He said this advice has been given to ministers and it is “up to them to decide what to do”.
Both the WHO and UK health experts are continuing to look into the science and evidence surrounding face masks – and say they will update their advice if there are any new findings.

*Methodology :The N95 Mask Company conducted a national survey of 2000 UK-based adults from 1-3 May via national research platform 3GEM.

For the latestest government advice on PPE visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-infection-prevention-and-control/covid-19-personal-protective-equipment-ppe

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