The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges [1] has issued the statement below in support of the government’s decision to mandate the wearing of facemasks in shops in England, in line with the position in Scotland and Wales. The statement, agreed by the AoMRC’s Council, including the FOM, also draws attention to the ongoing threat from COVID-19, and provides a link to the report on preparing for winter 2020/21 issued by the Academy of Medical Sciences [2] which has received wide publicity in recent days.
The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges believes the Government decision that facemasks should be mandatory in shops is correct and is something we were calling for. The mixed messages and indeed this further delay in introducing the arrangements only serve to add further risk.
Medical Royal Colleges are absolutely clear that the threat from COVID-19 is still out there. It will be dangerous and foolhardy to act as if this pandemic is all over. If people do not continue to observe the simple precautionary measures like social distancing, handwashing and self-isolating when symptomatic or having tested positive, we risk further flare-ups. This could result in further lockdowns and risk to the NHS, with serious consequences for everyone as we head towards the winter period.
This message was made clear by the Academy of Medical Sciences in their report ‘Preparing for a challenging winter [3]‘ released today [14 July, 2020] and is endorsed by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges.
Prof. Carrie MacEwen, Chair of The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges.
Dr Anne de Bono
President, Faculty of Occupational Medicine