Yesterday, I posted an image I found on Twitter of a Wheel of Fortune puzzle where the answer was “Wear A F*cking Mask.” That particular image hit home for me, as this weekend I tried to do some Christmas shopping at a local mall and was shocked at how many of the employees at the mall’s shops and kiosks were not wearing masks.
However, it is also worth remembering just how vociferously anti-mask the mainstream media and various establishment entities were at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
I first ordered a large number of cloth masks for my family back in March 2020. That same month, the UK’s Advertising Standard Authorities banned ads from companies advertising masks as a method of reducing the risk of contracting COVID-19.
The ASA said the adverts were “misleading” because the claims went against official advice.
A spokesman said Public Health England informed the ASA “that they do not recommend the use of face masks as a means of protection from coronavirus”.
“We understood there was very little evidence of widespread benefit from their use outside of clinical settings,” the ASA said in a statement.
They added that “prolonged use of masks was likely to reduce compliance with good universal hygiene behaviours” to help stop the spread of infectious diseases, like frequent hand-washing.
Prof Stephen Powis, NHS medical director, said: “Callous firms looking to maximise profits by pushing products that fly in the face of official advice is outright dangerous and has rightly been banned.”
