Study reveals top places embracing and avoiding face masks

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 planning to embrace face masks and the top five areas where masks are being 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 and Wrexham 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. 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:

1. Durham = 78% will wear
2. London = 75% will wear
3. Newcastle upon Tyne = 76% will wear
4. Dundee = 74% will wear
5. Derry = 71% will wear

Top five towns and cities avoiding face masks are:

1. Leicester = 68% won’t wear
2. Dudley = 60% won’t wear
3. Wrexham = 56% won’t wear
4. Southampton = 55% won’t wear
5. 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.”

To promote a steady supply of effective face masks for everyone in the UK, and to discourage stockpiling, The N95 Mask Company offers a 10 percent discount to customers who subscribe to receive a regular, guaranteed delivery of face masks. The company promotes an ‘active pricing pledge’, meaning they will pass on the savings to subscribed customers if they are able to source the product at a lower price.

For more information, you can visit their website here 

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