Face masks provided for all health and social care staff dealing with suspected and positive COVID -19 patients be upgraded to FFP3 with immediate effect.
Why is this important?
The new variant of COVID -19 has been reported to be 70% more transmissible than the original virus.
All health and social care workers dealing with suspected or positive patients are at greater risk of serious illness and death.
The current level of staff sickness in the NHS and in social care and the mounting death toll for these dedicated workers is completely unacceptable.
This needs to be addressed now, not in weeks or months time.