UK government evidence for mask mandates policy - an introduction

The UK Health Security Agency review

Our readers may recall the UK Government responding to a Parliamentary Question as to whether the publication of the Cochrane review A122 had been taken into account to formulate government policy. 

Lord Markham for the government replied: “In November 2021, the UK Health Security Agency published The effectiveness of face coverings to reduce transmission of COVID-19 in community settings: A rapid review (update 2) to identify and examine the latest available evidence on the effectiveness of face coverings to reduce transmission of COVID-19 in the community. The review includes 25 studies, two randomised controlled trials and 23 observational studies undertaken to 14 September 2021. The evidence suggests that face coverings reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the community through source control, wearer protection, and universal masking”.

His Lordship provided a copy of the UKHSA review and confirmed that this was the basis for government policy. 

This timeline may be useful as a refresher …