Bitter Divide Over Wearing Your Face Mask Outside

People wearing masks outside can make you feel intimidated. You are often left wondering why they are sporting one when the chances of infection there are very slim.

- Dr Miriam Stoppard

For some people it’s probably a security blanket – but is there any science to back up the habit? Well, there’s controversy even among scientists, with clear yes and no camps. Arguments are illuminating.

In the yes corner there are collaborators Babak Javid and Dirk Bassler of California University, and Manuel Bryant of Zurich University.

They argue in the BMJ for a “nuanced approach” to mask wearing, meaning doing it according to the circumstances you find yourself in.