The politics and practicalities of mask-wearing

Marina Hyde (Johnson has seen the light on ‘face coverings’. Just not the toxic mask-ulinity, 14 July) takes the PM at his word that it’s “the scientific evidence” that has brought about his very late conversion. Until recently his government was quoting experts who said face coverings would give the public a false sense of security. One can imagine the lightbulb moment in the office of his special adviser: if the public are too scared to come out and spend to rescue the economy, give them what they apparently want – a false sense of security. Classic Dom.
Bob Hamblett
Maresfield, East Sussex

• The reason I do not want to wear a mask is not because they are “girly” (To get people to use face masks, we need solidarity, not shaming, 13 July), but because I find it disturbing to walk through a world where people’s facial expressions are hidden. We are told that the scientific case for making people wear masks in public is now irresistible, but there is more to science than epidemiology. I have yet to see any analysis of the psychological and social impacts of people hiding their facial features, and treating fellow humans primarily as biohazards.
Simon Fairlie
Bridport, Dorset

• I do hope that all the libertarians now chopping up their Conservative party membership cards in response to compulsory mask-wearing will insist on the same freedoms when they next need an operation. If masks are incompatible with their libertarian values, surely they must extend the same freedom to the surgical team and allow them to exercise their right to breathe without a mask and leave their hands liberally unwashed.
Jonathan Myerson
London

• I strongly support the wearing of face masks in enclosed spaces, but I’m intrigued as to how the rules for shops in England will be enforced. It has been mandatory to wear them on public transport for several weeks, yet each morning I see local buses with virtually no one wearing them. If it can’t be enforced on a bus, what chance do retailers have?
Andrew Firth
Northampton

• I can’t help thinking there’s a certain karma about Boris in a face mask. We are all “letterboxes” now.
Margaret Deighan
Malvern, Worcestershire

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