We have been calling for this for over a year! The evidence is there. Surgical masks do not protect us from airborne viruses!

With new variants and potentially heading into a further wave, changing the guidance could save lives of staff on the frontline, key workers and the public.

The manufacturing and supply chain should be brought into public hands and nationalised. The PPE scandal has exposed the cronyism and incompetence at the heart of the government.

Words by Holly Johnson