Homemade facemask made during the coronavirus pandemic. Blue fabric with pink, red and light blue repeating pattern showing flowers and Mary Poppins with her umbrella. White elastic ear loops. Made by Pamela Moon, Cardiff, Wales, 2020.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, face coverings became mandatory in indoor public places across Wales on 14 September 2020. This followed the Scottish government who made face masks compulsory from 10 July 2020 and in the English government who did the same from 24 July 2020.

This mask was made by Pamela Moon in 2020 for her mother-in-law Peggy Moon. Peggy Moon lives with dementia and is cared for by her son David Moon and Pamela. During an online engagement session hosted in collaboration between the Science Museum and the charity Arts4Dementia on Zoom in December 2020, David and Peggy spoke about face masks as the item that best represented one of their pandemic experiences.

Face coverings were the source of much confusion and indecision at the beginning of the pandemic, with opinions varying on their effectiveness across the globe.

The Welsh government followed the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommendation for fabric masks to have a minimum of three layers of fabric, unlike the English government who acknowledge this recommendation but give the recommendation of two or three layers.