WATCH: Labour calls for plan to distribute masks to public

Rachel Reeves has called on the government to “work now” to ensure that there is a plan in place to manufacture and distribute “approved masks” in anticipation of a change to guidance on face coverings in the Covid-19 crisis.

In an interview with Sky News this morning, the Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster described how she had purchased a mask herself and would be wearing it when going outside in public.

Reeves emphasised that although masks are not currently required by UK Covid-19 guidance, they are in many other countries and said that it is “increasingly likely” that our own advice will change.

The comments from Reeves follow a letter to her counterpart Michael Gove, in which she asked how the government will manage the distribution and supply of sufficient numbers of masks if the guidance changes.

In the correspondence, she asked the minister to outline how government will work with businesses, trade unions and international supply networks to avoid shortages should the public be advised to wear masks.

Commenting on the action required, Reeves said: “The government was too slow to enter the lockdown, too slow to get vital protective equipment to NHS, social care and other key workers, and too slow on testing and tracing to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

“We need to know what the plans are to stockpile face masks in readiness for any change in the scientific advice. This is an opportunity for ministers to get ahead of the game and demonstrate they have learned from their mistakes, and we stand ready to help them to achieve that.

“Labour is supporting the government through this crisis when it is getting things right, and challenging it when things are going wrong. This is in all our interests to protect public health.”

Several other countries around the world are now advising that their citizens use face coverings when in public. The Japanese government has sent free masks to 50 million households, for example.

The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK stands at 186,599, but with low levels of testing the true figure is thought to be much higher. There have been 28,446 recorded deaths related to the virus.