Liam O’Dell: Approach the UK Government’s clear mask announcement with caution

Let’s take a step back – perhaps at the recommended two metres – and take another look at the news that the Government has procured 250,000 clear masks for use in NHS and care settings. The masks may be transparent, but I feel this press release isn’t.

On the surface, an initial delivery of 250,000 masks sounds promising. Yet, when you consider the hundreds and thousands of NHS staff working across the country, as well as those working in social care, I can’t help but feel that the masks won’t go very far. Add to that the fact that these masks will be distributed across all four nations, and it is almost certain that this supply will be short-lived.

Oh, and then there’s the small matter of these clear masks being single use, too.

🧵 THREAD: Right then, let’s talk about this announcement from the UK Government about the procurement of clear masks, made just over five months since lockdown was announced back in March.

Thanks for being so speedy, Prime Minister(!)https://t.co/TlMMaOBWK1

— Liam O'Dell (@LiamODellUK) September 6, 2020

What’s more, is that we’ve been waiting for an update on the availability of the clear masks in health and care settings for months. It was back in May that MP Tulip Siddiq submitted a written question about transparent face coverings, and received a response from the Government in June that they would announce the situation with health and care settings “as soon as possible”.

It’s been just over two months.

In her reply, Jo Churchill MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department for Health and Social Care, also said that “while the product is not CE marked”, UK Government regulators agreed that one mask – the ClearMask from the US – “can enter the National Health Service supply chain”.

For those unaware, CE marks are used to say that a product has met health and safety standards within the European Economic Area. As this product is from the US, the mask has been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Here in the UK, clearance came from the Health and Safety Executive, with an NHS note published by the RCSLT saying: “ClearMask face masks are not currently CE marked which is why HSE approval was sought.”

The same note also details several instances where the clear mask should not be used, and says that a risk assessment must be conducted before the product can be used.

Situations where the clear mask must not be worn include in surgical settings, where there is “excessive splashing or spraying” of bodily fluids, or as an alternative to a “filtering face-piece respirator”, which protects workers during “aerosol generating procedures”.

At this point, I must make it clear (pun most definitely intended) that transparent masks are incredibly important, and I’m not saying they shouldn’t be introduced altogether. Several deaf charities are calling for them to be made readily available as they offer protection whilst also allowing for lipreading to take place, which is excellent. It’s just frustrating that we’re at this very early stage as late as September.

Plus, as we look ahead to the coming months, there remain some urgent questions which are yet to be answered in this press release. The UK Government says its in discussions with devolved administrations about their allocation of masks, but we still don’t know the figures. They also say they will “continue to work closely with suppliers” on future orders of the mask “based on demand”, but what’s the threshold for high demand? How is that determined?

Finally, I want to conclude by saying that I am not criticising the manufacturer, ClearMask, in this piece – rather the actions of the UK Government. During this pandemic, it is essential that no deaf person is left behind due to preventable barriers to everyday conversation – the Government must be more proactive in removing them.

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is a mildly deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He wears bilateral hearing aids and can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.