Face masks will become the norm in wake of Coronavirus
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A senior World Health Organisation figure has said that facial protection is going to become the norm in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
Dr David Nabarro, the WHO's Covid-19 envoy, said that people would need to become accustomed to a "new reality".
He told the BBC: "Some form of facial protection, I'm sure, is going to become the norm, not least to give people reassurance.
"But, I would say, don't imagine that you can do what you like when you are wearing a mask."
Dr Nabarro added that people's lifestyles would need to change.
He said: "Because this virus isn't going to go away, and we don't know whether people who have had the virus stay immune afterwards and will not get it again.
"And, we don't know when we will have a vaccine. So, what we are saying is get societies defended.
"Yes, we will have to wear masks. Yes, there will have to be more physical distancing. Yes, we must protect the vulnerable.
"But, most importantly, we must all learn how to interrupt transmission.
"It's a revolution. Like happened when it was discovered that dirty water bore cholera in 1850.
"Or, like perhaps 25 years ago we all learned about HIV/Aids and its relationship with sex.
"We changed, and we adapted and we learned how to live with these new realities.
"We have also got to live with the new reality of life with Covid-19."
