The World Health Organization (WHO) has changed its advice on face masks, saying they should be worn in public where social distancing is not possible to help stop the spread of coronavirus.

The global body said new information showed they could provide "a barrier for potentially infectious droplets".

The WHO had previously argued there was not enough evidence to say that healthy people should wear masks.

However, WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed that "in light of evolving evidence, the WHO advises that governments should encourage the general public to wear masks where there is widespread transmission and physical distancing is difficult, such as on public transport, in shops or in other confined or crowded environments".

The organisation said its new guidance had been prompted by studies over recent weeks.

Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's technical lead expert on Covid-19, told Reuters news agency the recommendation was for people to wear a "fabric mask - that is, a non-medical mask".

Fabric masks should consist of "at least three layers of different material" in order to be effective, the WHO says.

However, those aged over-60 and with underlying health risks should wear medical masks in areas where there is community transmission.

At the same time, the WHO stressed that face masks were just one of a range of tools that could be used to reduce the risk of transmission - and that they should not give people a false sense of protection.

"Masks on their own will not protect you from Covid-19," Dr Tedros said.

This is a big shift in the WHO's guidance on when the public should cover their faces. For months, the organisation's experts stuck to the line that masks would encourage a false sense of security and would deprive medical professionals of badly needed protective equipment.

Those arguments have not gone away but at the same time the WHO acknowledges that new evidence has emerged on the risks of transmission.

It points to recent research that people can be highly infectious in the few days before they show symptoms and that some people catch the virus but never show symptoms at all.

So where distancing is not possible, such as on public transport and in l.shop locations it is suggested that faces are covered with face masks to avoid passing on the infection.

Over 60s with underlying health conditions should go further, the WHO said, and wear medical-grade masks to give themselves better protection.

Face coverings are to become compulsory for people using public transport in England from Monday 15 June.

Also, all hospital visitors and outpatients will have to wear face coverings and all staff will have to wear surgical masks at all times, in all areas.

Face coverings are already recommended in some enclosed spaces - like public transport and shops - when social distancing isn't possible.
What are the new rules with effect from 15th June?

The move to compulsory face coverings on buses, trains, ferries and planes, and the new rules for hospitals, will coincide with a further easing of lockdown restrictions.

From 15 June, ministers want more non-essential retailers to open and some secondary school pupils to return to classes. This could put more pressure on public transport, and make social distancing more difficult.

Some passengers will be exempt from the new rules:

Young children
Disabled people
Those with breathing difficulties

Ask in store today about our range of Face Masks to ensure you stay safe on public transport and shopping trips to help stop the spread of the virus.

Source - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52945210