HSBC, the international bank, warned clients their accounts could be closed if they fail to adhere to mask guidelines amid the coronavirus outbreak.
“Our branch colleagues are key workers, continuing to go to work in our branches every day so that customers who need them can access essential financial services,” Jackie Uhi, the head of the branch network for HSBC UK, told FNLondon.com. She continued, “If individuals put themselves or our colleagues at risk, without a medical exemption, we reserve the right to withdraw their account.”
The bank made headlines in December when it froze the account of a church located in Hong Kong that reportedly backed the city’s pro-democracy movement, which prompted an international backlash.
The bank’s move is part of a growing “must wear mask” trend spreading throughout the U.K., with its largest supermarkets including Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, and Sainsbury’s declaring mask orders. Asda, for example, said any customer who refuses to “wear a covering without a valid medical reason and be in any way challenging to our colleagues about doing so, our security colleagues will refuse their entry.”
TRENDPOST: Last week, The Atlantic magazine ran a story about masks, noting, “America is swamped with fraudulent medical-grade masks, some of which are only 1 percent effective.” And those are actual face masks, not a bandana loosely tied around someone’s mouth.
Since the COVID War began, we have been reporting studies proving the inefficacy of mask-wearing. (See our 3 November articles, “FACING THE TRUTH, PART I: THE GREAT MASK-QUERADE” and “FACING THE TRUTH, PART II: MORE EVIDENCE MASKS ARE INEFFECTIVE.”)
On Sunday, in issuing his new lockdown orders that will last until 7 February, Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz said masks must be worn on public transport and in shops.
The masks Kurz ordered the people to wear are single-use, filtering face-piece respirators (FFP2). The Guardian reported, “Some virologists warn a new compulsory mask rule could end up being counterproductive.”
“In theory, the move to more professional masks is welcome,” Jonas Schmidt-Chanasit, a German virologist and Professor of Arbovirology at the University of Hamburg, told the Guardian. “But I’d be wary of simply copying the Bavarian model without considering the possible downsides.”
The professor said, “In most cases, FFP2 masks will be ineffective if they aren’t professionally fitted: people will end up breathing through the gap between mask and face rather than through the designated filter.” They noted that virologists also say beards can prevent the masks from sealing properly around the face.
“I can see how FFP2 masks could be a useful emergency solution for workplaces where you cannot easily guarantee safety ventilation,” Schmidt-Chanasit said. “But I am skeptical of making them mandatory on public transport, where there are other ways to avoid the risk of aerosols, and where passengers may be forced to wear masks for longer than the 75 minutes advised by regulatory authorities.”
