With a recent rise in Covid cases and the NHS in trouble, here’s how to end the culture war on face masks

‘If fear of masks has no basis in science, where does it come from?’ Commuters on the London underground. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Whether or not you are prepared to call it a crisis, the NHS is undoubtedly on its knees. In addition to existing backlogs, a “twindemic” of surging flu and increasing Covid cases means that demand for medical attention is outstripping supply.

So when Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), made the rather modest suggestion that people should wear masks or stay home if they are poorly, you might have thought it would be uncontroversial.