Hand-washing and mask-wearing: Covid rules we would be wise to keep

With seasonal sickness on the rise, experts say measures we adopted at height of pandemic should become commonplace

At the height of the pandemic, there was hope that lessons learned from this period would provide the foundations for a healthier society. No longer would snotty commuters swap germs on packed trains; if people were ill, they would stay home - or at least wear masks to protect others.

Now few people are masking, and I have lost track of the number of friends with colds" who have happily coughed on me in recent weeks. Rather than building back better", the country seems to have reverted to business as usual, circa 2019.