Maajid Nawaz: Mandatory masks could break trust in Covid response

Maajid Nawaz observed that there has been a "knock in public confidence when it comes to trusting science and government over Covid restrictions," which he put down to warnings made by the government's Chief Medical Officer and Chief Science Adviser some weeks ago.

The chair of the BMA has since called for the mandatory wearing of face masks in public to slow the spread of coronavirus and Maajid noted "though he's right to say that simpler rules are better than more complicated rules, I think we're past that now."

"Yet if we did another change where we told the public to wear a face mask wherever you go the minute you leave the house, people aren't gonna like that," he added.

Maajid felt that "we've got to the point that the public is tired" of constantly changing rules and the latest proposals could be the straw to break the camel's back.

"We've had so many chops and changes in policy so far that I think if you introduce this one as well, I think people will be pulling their hair out."

He thought "the public's patience for yet another restriction on a national level has completely waned" and the Government "have to keep that in mind with any new policy we suggest to be introduced."

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