Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Government's covid-19 recovery strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of advising people to wear face coverings on the supply of personal protective equipment for key workers.

We are working around the clock to give the social care sector and wider National Health Service the equipment and support they need to tackle this outbreak.

We published a personal protective equipment (PPE) Plan on 10 April, setting out clear guidance on who needs PPE and in what circumstances they need to use it; and how sufficient supplies will be secured and distributed to the front line. The ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): personal protective equipment (PPE) plan’ can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-personal-protective-equipment-ppe-plan