Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what evidence informed his Department's decision that children under the age of 11 do not need to wear a mask in an enclosed public space during the covid-19 outbreak.

The World Health Organization and UNICEF advise that children aged 12 years old and over should wear a face covering under the same conditions as adults, particularly when they cannot guarantee at least a one metre distance from others and there is widespread transmission in the area. Our guidance reflects this.