Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the guidance, entitled Ventilation of indoor spaces to stop the spread of coronavirus, updated by Public Health England on 4 March 2021, whether the Government plans to revise the guidance on the use of personal protective equipment by health and care staff to require the use of FFP3 masks in all settings.

The United Kingdom-wide Infection Prevention Control (IPC) Cell has recently reviewed the evidence in relation to the transmission route for COVID-19 and the IPC precautions required. The IPC guidance was updated most recently on 21 January and the Cell agreed that no changes to the current personal protective equipment requirements were needed.

There is also consensus across the UK Chief Medical Officers that existing guidance regarding the use of face masks and FFP3 masks by healthcare workers is correct.