Use of ineffective and potentially harmful face covering and masks

There is no robust evidence showing that the wearing of a face covering (particularly cloth or standard surgical masks) is effective against the transmission of airborne respiratory pathogens.
Inevitably, the public often wear masks incorrectly or improperly handle them, constituting an additional infection hazard, as pointed out by Jenny Harries, the deputy chief medical officer in March 2020. With particular reference to Covid-19, the only large randomised controlled trial exploring the benefits of adopting face coverings in the community found that masks (even the surgical variety) did not result in a significant reduction in infection risk for the wearer.

There is also evidence suggesting that mask-wearing can cause multiple harms, including exhaustion, headaches, fatigue and dehydration. Some doctors have suggested an increased risk of pneumonia. German scientists have also found that wearing certain types of face masks for long periods of time could result in potentially hazardous chemicals and harmful microplastics being inhaled into the lungs.