Fabric face covering, of the type used during the COVID-19 pandemic, personalised with a photograph of a buzzard taken at the National Collections Centre, made by FreePrints, 2020

In June 2020, England first made face coverings mandatory on public transport and a month later, face coverings became compulsory in indoor settings like supermarkets. In both cases, there were medical exemptions that applied. During the pandemic, many companies began to sell face coverings. This face covering was bought in summer 2020 and shows how quickly these products were introduced. The face covering is personalised with a photograph a buzzard taken at the Science Museum Group’s National Collection Centre in Wroughton. People used face coverings to express their personality and interests. Studies even showed that personalisation encourages the wearing of face coverings.

Hands, Face, Space was introduced as the government’s slogan for its COVID-19 strategy in September 2020 – emphasising the importance of face coverings to the government’s plans. Scientific research has found that wearing a face covering is effective at reducing the spread of COVID-19.