The masks u-turn shows it has surrendered its authority to 'the science' - Spiked

Some experts argued that masks would help slow the infection rate.
Others pointed out that improper use of face masks can amplify risks, for instance by acting as a reservoir for virus particles.
It seems that today’s mantra of ‘listen to the science’ is not as straightforward as it seems.
Claims to wear masks are untested and unchallenged, then elevated to the status of ‘the science’.
The hasty assembling of research articles in support of a policy position is not science. This is as likely to be to be dangerously misleading as it is to yield even negligible benefits.
Scientific controversy in the 21st century is settled by institutional weight and muscle, not by experiment.
The president of the Royal Society wants to have his cake and eat it: he wants the government to defer to institutional science, but not for science to be accountable for this influence.
The government, weakened by its capitulations to breakfast TV anchors, politically motivated scientists and scientific institutions, may find itself unable to roll back policies which turn out to do more harm than good.