Where to buy coronavirus face masks

Oct 23, 2023

People might soon be forced to wear face masks when they head out in public, but is there anywhere left still selling them and which ones are best? We explain all

Government advice on whether you have to wear face masks is changing from Monday.

From June 15, the public will have to wear them on all public transport as well as in hospitals across England.

But with stocks running low, and primarily diverted to make sure the NHS is provided for, what options does that leave members of the public?

The good news is the N95 disposable masks used by the NHS aren't the only ones available or the only thing that can be effective in protecting yourself - and others - from coronavirus transmission.

Face masks' primary benefit is to stop you infecting someone else - a real concern with people able to pass on the disease for as long as a week before symptoms present themselves - with a secondary benefit being that they also offer you some protection against catching the disease yourself.

But to do that that means they should ideally have some form or water resistance as well as air filtration properties - given a virus can easily spread through water and damp cloth won't stop it in the same way it will dust.

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A scarf wrapped around your face, for example, can easily become damp thanks to you breathing through it - making it far less useful as a barrier.

But a lot of face masks designed for DIY, cycling and other pursuits actually perform rather well in protecting from infection.

To see how effective masks are, many are graded.

FFP1 standard masks offer the lowest level of filtration with FFP 3 filtering 99%- this actually makes them more effective than the N95 masks used in hospitals.

Some cycling pollution masks are also rather effective - with even marketed as reaching the N95 or N99 grade of filtration used by hospitals.

These are often also washable and re-usable - although make sure you use the correct settings to ensure they are properly sterilised after use.

Disposable hospital masks - sometimes marked as N95 masks - are effective for 8 hours, and designed to be thrown away. However, the public has been advised not to buy them if possible so supplies can be directed to hospitals and other essential care workers.

If you're lucky, you might see masks on sale in pharmacies or DIY stores while out shopping for essential goods.

If not, DIY retailers such as Wikes, Screwfix and B&Q all sell dust masks.

You can pick up a FFP3 mask for as little as £3 - with FFP1s costing less than half that - but most are now sold out online.

Screwfix is selling five-packs of FFP3 dust masks for £11.99 at the moment - but doesn't offer home delivery, meaning you'll need to click and collect to your nearest Screwfix shop.

Over on Amazon, there are quite a lot of options if you search for FFP3 - with 10 masks for less than £5 or a mask plus 50 replacement filters for £15.94.

There are also some independent sellers out there that are selling reusable masks at reasonable prices.

Retailers such as Notonthehighstreet are worth checking out, on brand called ELLE is stocking them for £14.99 in an array of colours.

Cycling shops also have masks still available.

Run, swim, bike brand Wiggle.co.uk stills has several in stock - although they're a little pricier, starting at around £20.

The good news is delivery is free on all UK orders above £16, and all of them are washable.

Other bike retailers were showing masks as out of stock, sadly, but this might well change.

Ebay still has a lot of masks listed for sale, some costing less than £5, but as ever watch for delivery times and fees - as well as checking the seller's rating.

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