Calls for the return of face masks caused a political row today after an NHS leader said Britons experiencing flu or cold symptoms should wear one in public places.
Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents trusts, said it was vital for workers to ‘stop the chances of you giving your virus to somebody else’.
He urged people to ‘get back into the habit’ formed during the Covid-19 pandemic of wearing a mask when in public spaces – and even in the office if they have a cold.
Mandatory mask rules have been imposed over recent weeks in parts of hospitals in London, Lincolnshire, Shropshire and Oxfordshire amid alarm at infection numbers.
Downing Street said wearing a mask to prevent the spread of respiratory illness was ‘something people can consider’ – but Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch branded them a ‘barrier to social interaction’ and told the Government not to mandate them.
Some 70 per cent of Daily Mail readers are against making masks mandatory in indoor areas during the ‘superflu’ outbreak, based on 7,300 responses to today’s poll.
A ‘drifted’ influenza A(H3N2) strain, also now known as ‘subclade K’ or ‘super flu’, is dominating cases and health leaders have warned the flu season started ‘unusually early’ this year – while virology experts are leading growing calls for mask wearing.
It comes after the UK Health Security Agency said last week that ‘masks continue to be a useful tool in limiting the spread of respiratory viruses in some situations’.
Mr Elkeles suggested today that the UK should get back to the habits of the pandemic-era, telling Times Radio: ‘When you were talking about anything like Covid, I think we need to get back into the habit that if you are coughing and sneezing, but you’re not unwell enough to not go to work, then you must wear a mask when you’re in public spaces, including on public transport to stop the chances of you giving your virus to somebody else.
‘And we were all very good about infection control during Covid. And we really, really need to get back to that now.’
Presenter Kate McCann asked him: ‘So you’re saying if people are in the office today and they’re not poorly enough to be off, they can go to work, but they have got a cold, they’re snuffling, they are coughing, they should wear a mask in the office?’
And Mr Elkeles replied: ‘I think that would be very sensible to all their colleagues or probably their colleagues to say, please go home. But we really got to worry about the fact that this is a very nasty strain of flu. It spreads very easily.’
He also reiterated the importance of people getting their vaccine, saying there is a ‘tidal wave of flu’, adding: ‘This is a very big tidal wave. It’s a very nasty variant of flu that we have this year. And it’s much earlier in the winter season than normal.
‘So children are still at school. It’s warm and wet. So it’s perfect flu spreading conditions. So we’re kind of in quite uncharted, unprecedented territory for this time of the year.’
He told people to ‘sit up and listen’, adding that there was a need to have ‘a proper conversation with the public about, how do we take collective responsibility for trying to get the NHS out of this annual, very difficult few weeks.’
A No 10 spokesman said: ‘There is long-standing guidance in place for people on a range of measures they can consider taking to help limit the spread of winter bugs if they have flu-like symptoms.
‘This is neither new nor an instruction but simply something people can consider when trying to limit the spread of winter respiratory illnesses.
‘It’s been a long-standing position. The best defence against flu is the vaccine, which is why we’re ramping up our vaccination efforts this winter with almost 17 million flu jobs already delivered, which is 350,000 more than this time last year.’
Dr Andy Whittamore, clinical lead at the charity Asthma and Lung UK, said people with lung diseases should ‘consider wearing a face mask in crowded or indoor spaces to reduce their chance of catching flu’.
He added: ‘Masks can help reduce the chance of inhaling viruses but staying up to date with vaccinations, practising good hand hygiene, and avoiding contact with sick people are the main ways to stay safe.’
And the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) wrote in a blog last week: ‘Wearing a well-fitting mask when unwell can reduce the number of particles containing viruses that are released from the mouth and nose of someone who is infected with a respiratory infection.’
Some hospitals in recent days have also urged staff or visitors to wear masks, including in A&E, as they deal with high cases of flu.
Speaking on Sky News, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch was asked about whether people should wear masks.
She said: ‘I’m still slightly traumatised by all the mask wearing that we had to do during Covid.
‘Let’s bring some common sense into this. I personally think that face coverings can be a barrier to social interaction, social cohesion and I do worry about a mask mandate.
‘I don’t think the Government should be mandating anything.
‘Let’s have some common sense. I think people can make up their own minds. If you are really sick, it should be in bed. It should not be on public transport. I think that’s more of a problem.
‘But the truth is, many people are contagious before they realise that they’re even ill. So I’m not sure that it would work.’
Mr Elkeles told Times Radio there was also ‘the really big challenge’ of resident doctors going on strike next week when the NHS is grappling with flu and other illnesses.
He said he agreed with concerns from ‘really, really senior doctors’ in the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges that the strike going ahead could harm patients.
He said: ‘It’s not too late for resident doctors and the Government to find enough common ground in their conversations to say ‘we are determined to resolve this dispute but the thing that is really, really going to damage the NHS and harm patients is having the strike next week.
‘So let’s not have the strike next week and let’s carry on talking and get to a good place where resident doctors and the Government feel like there’s a good solution.’
UKHSA data suggests this year’s vaccine is providing good protection against flu even though a drifted influenza A(H3N2) strain – dubbed super flu – is currently dominating cases in England.
The number of people in hospital with flu in England is at a record level for this time of year.
An average of 1,717 flu patients were in beds in England each day, including 69 in critical care, the most recent data showed.
New NHS data on flu will be released on Thursday.
Meanwhile, some schools have been forced to close temporarily due to high levels of illness.
St Martin’s School in Caerphilly had closed last week after more than 250 pupils and members of staff fell ill, it was reported.
A Government spokesperson said: ‘This will be a tough winter for our NHS and the latest figures confirm flu cases are at very high levels this year.
‘School attendance is critical for children’s life chances, and while it’s clear cases of flu are going to have an impact on attendance levels, we are clear school closures should only happen in extreme circumstances.
‘We provide clear guidance to help parents know exactly when to keep children home, and to help schools both manage children’s wellbeing and keep disruption to a minimum.’
It comes as flu grips other countries around Europe – with French health officials revealing cases are increasing in every age group in the country; and pharmacists in Majorca reporting a surge in mask sales and flu medicine in the last three weeks.
