Make face masks compulsory outdoors | Letters

Face coverings should be mandatory the moment you step outside, writes Christine Whatford, while Michael Weedy wants joggers to wear masks

It is inescapable that the facts are changing and we must change our response," Boris Johnson told the Commons last week (Boris Johnson extremely cautious' on when England's schools will reopen, 6 January), so I am surprised this changed response doesn't include making masks compulsory outside. Masks were considered last spring, and rejected as not being effective. And while it is true that if only some people are wearing them sometimes, they are not protecting themselves, only others from catching it from them, surely if everyone wears them everywhere, everyone is protected?

I have a brother living in Spain and a son living in Turkey. In both these countries, mask-wearing everywhere has been compulsory for some time and is strictly adhered to. In March 2020 I could understand a reluctance to go from nothing to compulsory mask-wearing everywhere, as it would have met with public resistance. But with the figures as they now are, isn't it time to reconsider and look at anything that might slow down the spread?
Christine Whatford
Beckenham, London