Secondary school children in England were required to wear face coverings in areas under local lockdown from September 2020, following pressure from Scotland which had introduced the measure. Leaked WhatsApp messages obtained by the Daily Telegraph suggest that England’s chief medical officer, Sir Chris Whitty, had been ambivalent about the scientific evidence behind the measure. The messages also indicate that former Prime Minister Boris Johnson had asked for advice about face coverings in schools, with Lee Cain, then Downing Street’s director of communications, sending a link to a BBC article announcing face coverings would be mandatory in Scotland.
Simon Case, who was leading civil service Covid efforts, is said to have warned that “nervous parents would freak out” if Scotland’s example was not followed. Sir Chris Whitty is reported to have said there was “no strong reason against in corridors etc., and no very strong reasons for”, adding that it was “not worth an argument”. The change in guidance in England was announced that night.
In January 2021, the government admitted the evidence for using masks in schools to reduce spread of Covid was “not conclusive”. The uncertainty was acknowledged in a review used by ministers in England to make their decision to introduce face coverings in classrooms.
The Telegraph story comes after other WhatsApp messages leaked to the newspaper suggested that the former health secretary, Matt Hancock, rejected expert advice on Covid tests for people going into care homes in England at the start of the pandemic – a claim he has disputed. The texts were passed to the newspaper by journalist Isabel Oakeshott, who has been critical of lockdowns.
A government spokesperson said: “We have always said there are lessons to be learnt from the pandemic.” They added: “We are committed to learning from the Covid inquiry’s findings, which will play a key role in informing the government’s planning and preparations for the future.” A spokesperson for Mr Johnson said it was “not appropriate to comment” on the leaks and that the UK’s independent public inquiry into the pandemic “provides the right process for this.”
Secondary school children in England were required to wear face coverings from September 2020 due to pressure from Scotland, which had already implemented the measure. Leaked WhatsApp messages obtained by the Daily Telegraph suggest that England’s chief medical officer, Sir Chris Whitty, had been uncertain about the scientific evidence behind the measure. The messages also indicate that former Prime Minister Boris Johnson had asked for advice about face coverings in schools, with Lee Cain, then Downing Street’s director of communications, sending a link to a BBC article announcing face coverings would be mandatory in Scotland.
Simon Case, who was leading civil service Covid efforts, warned that “nervous parents would freak out” if Scotland’s example was not followed. Sir Chris Whitty is reported to have said there was “no strong reason against in corridors etc., and no very strong reasons for”, adding that it was “not worth an argument”. The change in guidance in England was announced that night.
In January 2021, the government admitted that evidence for using masks in schools to reduce spread of Covid was “not conclusive”. The uncertainty was acknowledged in a review used by ministers in England to make their decision to introduce face coverings in classrooms.
The Telegraph story comes after other WhatsApp messages leaked to the newspaper suggested that the former health secretary, Matt Hancock, rejected expert advice on Covid tests for people going into care homes in England at the start of the pandemic – a claim he has disputed. The texts were passed to the newspaper by journalist Isabel Oakeshott, who has been critical of lockdowns.
A government spokesperson said: “We have always said there are lessons to be learnt from the pandemic.” They added: “We are committed to learning from the Covid inquiry’s findings, which will play a key role in informing the government’s planning and preparations for the future.” A spokesperson for Mr Johnson said it was “not appropriate to comment” on the leaks and that the UK’s independent public inquiry into the pandemic “provides the right process for this.”
The introduction of face coverings for secondary school children in England came as a result of pressure from Scotland which had already implemented it. Leaked WhatsApp messages obtained by the Daily Telegraph suggest that England’s chief medical officer, Sir Chris Whitty, had been uncertain about the scientific evidence behind the measure. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson had asked for advice about face coverings in schools, with Lee Cain, then Downing Street’s director of communications, sending a link to a BBC article announcing face coverings would be mandatory in Scotland.
Simon Case, who was leading civil service Covid efforts, warned that “nervous parents would freak out” if Scotland’s example was not followed. Sir Chris Whitty is reported to have said there was “no strong reason against in corridors etc., and no very strong reasons for”, adding that it was “not worth an argument”. The change in guidance in England was announced that night.
In January 2021, the government acknowledged that evidence for using masks in schools to reduce spread of Covid was “not conclusive”. The uncertainty was acknowledged in a review used by ministers in England to make their decision to introduce face coverings in classrooms.
The Telegraph story comes after other WhatsApp messages leaked to the newspaper suggested that the former health secretary, Matt Hancock, rejected expert advice on Covid tests for people going into care homes in England at the start of the pandemic – a claim he has disputed. The texts were passed to the newspaper by journalist Isabel Oakeshott, who has been critical of lockdowns.
A government spokesperson said: “We have always said there are lessons to be learnt from the pandemic.” They added: “We are committed to learning from the Covid inquiry’s findings, which will play a key role in informing the government’s planning and preparations for the future.” A spokesperson for Mr Johnson said it was “not appropriate to comment” on the leaks and that the UK’s independent public inquiry into the pandemic “provides the right process for this.”
