Letters
Face coverings for covid-19
Sociocultural reflections on face coverings must not ignore the negative consequences
BMJ 2020; 371 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m3782 (Published 01 October 2020) Cite this as: BMJ 2020;371:m3782
- Esmée S Hanna, reader in health and wellbeing in society1,
- Robert Dingwall, professor of sociology2,
- Margaret McCartney, general practitioner3,
- Robert West, emeritus professor of health psychology4,
- Ellen Townsend, professor5,
- Jackie Cassell, deputy dean6,
- Graham Martin, director of research7
- 1De Montfort University, Leicester LE1 9BH, UK
- 2Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK
- 3Glasgow, UK
- 4University College London, London, UK
- 5Self-Harm Research Group, School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- 6Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton, UK
- 7THIS Institute (The Healthcare Improvement Studies Institute), University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- esmee.hanna{at}dmu.ac.uk
Much comment by advocates and opponents of face coverings has focused on the quality of the evidence base and whether this justifies widespread use.1 Advocacy for face coverings has primarily drawn on research conducted in biomedical settings, and some scholars have explicitly invoked their medical credentials to justify claims to scientific authority.2 Disciplines such as the social sciences and engineering have consequently had limited input into policies on face coverings. Given the challenges that covid-19 has created …
Log in
Log in using your username and password
Log in through your institution
Subscribe from £173 *
Subscribe and get access to all BMJ articles, and much more.
* For online subscription
Access this article for 1 day for:
£38 / $45 / €42 (excludes VAT)
You can download a PDF version for your personal record.