The President of the Royal Society says that people who refuse to wear masks should be publicly shamed like drunk drivers, highlighting again how the entire issue has become another part of the 'cancel culture war'.

"The message has not been clear enough, so perhaps people do not really understand the benefits or are not convinced of them," writes Venki Ramakrishnan. "Whatever the reasons, we need to overcome our reservations and wear face coverings whenever we are around others in public."

"It used to be quite normal to have quite a few drinks and drive home, and it also used to be normal to drive without seatbelts. Today, both of those would be considered antisocial, and not wearing face coverings in public should be regarded in the same way."

Ramakrishnan also called for everyone to be required to wear a mask in all indoor public settings rather than just on public transport which is currently the law in the UK.

Ramakrishnan's demand follows two Royal Society reports that claim wearing masks significantly reduces the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

However, as Toby Young notes, the evidence cited by the reports is flimsy at best.

"I've had a look at the Royal Society paper that supposedly confirms the effectiveness of masks. It's unimpressive. Note the threadbare evidence on which it bases its sweeping conclusion," writes Young before quoting the report itself.