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On June 4th 2020, Grant Shapps (then Transport Secretary) announced that the wearing of face coverings would soon become compulsory when travelling on public transport. The next day, this mandate was extended to healthcare – for staff, patients and visitors – and, the following month, masks became mandatory in all shops, on pain of £100 fines for the non-compliant. At this time, hiding one’s face behind strips of cloth or plastic was portrayed as an act of virtue, and the masked compliers were perceived as occupying the moral high ground. To impose a public health restriction in the absence of robust evidence for its effectiveness was bad enough. But, even more shameful, was the total disregard of the harms of community masking.

So, on this five-year anniversary of forced mask wearing, let us pause and spare a thought for the multiple victims of mask mania.

Let’s not forget the swathes of babies and toddlers who failed to bond with their faceless care givers, thereby stunting their longer term cognitive and emotional development.

• Children had “limited vocabulary” while some babies had “struggled to respond to basic facial expressions”, partly due to interacting with people wearing face masks. (Amanda Spielman, Oftsed Inspector)
• “We were really really concerned about that [harms from masks] and we fought really hard to have that taken out of the guidance. … We know now how many additional support needs there are for children as a result of mask wearing. Speech and language issues have exponentially increased because the children were not seeing the visual cues from their caregivers.” (Lorna Kettles – policy manager at Early Years Scotland, Scottish Covid Inquiry)

Let’s not forget the many victims of historical physical and sexual abuse who were further traumatised by the mask requirements.

• “Mandated mask-wearing has caused me numerous problems. I was sexually abused for years as a child where I was smothered and muffled, anything to stop me crying out. … So mask wearing has been a trigger for me both wearing and seeing people in masks – particularly children.” (Anonymous female)
• “I suffer from PTSD as a result of childhood abuse. I have been working on my mental health for years… but I didn’t even consider that wearing a mask would be a problem. At first I was finding myself very anxious not being able to see people’s faces properly… I would feel dizzy and short of breath when wearing a mask. It gradually got worse until I started having flashbacks, very sudden images of my abuser covering my mouth.” (Charli MacVicar)

Let’s not forget the 18 million UK adults with hearing difficulties who – because masks muffled voices and made it impossible to lipread – were plunged into a communication vacuum.

• “The evidence demonstrated that the use of masks caused distress, confusion and considerable difficulties with communication. Residents couldn’t see smiles, had difficulty recognising relatives and those with hearing difficulties couldn’t lip-read or read facial expressions or visual clues.” (Care Home Relatives Scotland, closing statement to the Scottish Covid Inquiry)
• “Garden visits were described as being ‘horrendous’ with no privacy. They were impractical in the Scottish climate and visitors had to shout to be heard while wearing masks and sitting two metres apart.” (Central Scotland Care Homes – evidence to the Scottish Covid Inquiry)

Let’s not forget the patients with existing respiratory problems whose breathing difficulties were exacerbated, those who were put at greater risk of contracting pneumonia and other bacterial infections, and those who were exposed to the inhalation of micro-plastics.

• “I am a 59 years old male, suffered from severe asthma in my 30s but have not used medication for 20 years thanks to a breathing method. … Wearing a mask causes me severe difficulty because it pushes me below the acceptable level in terms of intake of air. After a few minutes I feel that I am being asphyxiated, which is extremely stressful.” (Anonymous male)
• “I have chronic bronchitis and use asthma inhaler on a daily basis. … Only time I wore a mask out I collapsed in the supermarket. … I use an oximeter daily on GP advice. If I put a mask on my oxygen levels go down quite rapidly – to around 86% and become very lightheaded. …. I was advised to call an ambulance if it went below 90%. Truly ridiculous.” (Anonymous male)

Let’s not forget the millions of distressed and frightened NHS service users and care home residents who, as a consequence of the often stymied relationships resulting from masked protagonists, experienced sub-optimal care.

• “She hated masks… she never saw a member of staff without a mask on for two years. … Towards the end of July 2020, I was permitted to have garden visits, but these were difficult for both of us. I had to wear full PPE and sit at least two metres from her. She used to get upset and distressed… that we had to keep a distance from each other. She hated me wearing a mask as she couldn’t even see my face properly.” (Verona Gibson, mother of a 39 year-old daughter with learning difficulties/mental health problems who resides in a care home – evidence to the Scottish Covid Inquiry)
• “If you are surrounded by a group of people 24-7 wearing masks, and you don’t see people smile for up to two years, what kind of effect is that going to have on your mental health and wellbeing?” (Alison Walker, former BBC sports presenter, whose parents mentally and physically deteriorated in a care home in 2020 – evidence to Scottish Covid Inquiry).

Let’s not forget the rational minority who, because they opted not to wear a mask, were harassed and abused by others. On one occasion such an assault led to the death of a young woman.

• “I got a lanyard, but it was still a nightmare. I was followed round shops, had nasty comments, challenged regularly – and these things also led to massive anxiety. We live in a rural area where compliance is high and also I look pretty meek and anxious when I’m out so people aren’t scared to have a go, and they do. … There was a period where I felt so much hate towards me… that I just couldn’t even face going to shops for food. (Anonymous autistic female)
• “For her [12 year-old daughter] the mask mandate has been catastrophic and has curtailed her life and caused deep trauma. When she puts a mask on she hyperventilates – it immediately makes her panic and feel anxious. … When the mask mandate started in schools we did manage to get her an exemption. … But with the exemption comes discrimination – from the children who call her ‘selfish’ and a ‘granny killer’ or ‘antivax’ – to some of the teachers who have described her as ‘one of those’.” (Anonymous mother)

Blanket masking requirements achieved little if any benefits yet caused multiple – often profound – harms. Five years on from the imposition of the first UK mask mandates, have our public health decisionmakers learnt the errors of their ways, and is there now general recognition that state-sanctioned cover-your-face orders must never happen within our communities?

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