People who never wear face coverings more likely to catch Covid
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People who never wear a face covering in enclosed spaces are more likely to test positive for Covid-19 according to ONS data.
Infection survey data from the two weeks ending on September 11 found that “people who never wore a face covering in enclosed spaces were more likely to test positive for coronavirus,” than those who always or sometimes did wear a mask.
The data indicated that never wearing a face covering increased the chance of catching Covid by 59 per cent and suggested not wearing a mask could increase the odds of testing positive 1.98 times.
The study tested 60 demographic and behavioural characteristics to identify which characteristics are associated with testing positive for Coronavirus.
Alongside never wearing a mask people who had physical contact with children between the ages of six and ten were also at an increased risk of catching the virus.
The results on mask wearing were not conclusive as people who always wear a mask might also practice other preventative behaviours, such as social distancing and hand washing, which reduced the risk of infection.
In England, the legal requirement to wear a face covering ended on 19 July. This week 959 people have died from Covid-19 while 241,202 tested positive despite 82.4 per cent of the over 16 population being double jabbed.
Read more: Retail footfall dips as face coverings become mandatory in English stores