Despite it being nearly a year since the first cases of COVID-19 were discovered in Europe, there remains a patchwork of regulations on wearing face masks and which masks to wear across the continent.

Cases have been growing in most parts of Europe over the winter months, with new variants of the virus adding to concerns. The latest wave of infections is leading many countries to readdress their rules on wearing face masks. 

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When should you wear a face mask?

The debate around face masks has been raging since the start of the pandemic when their effectiveness was challenged. Now it is common practice in Europe, and usually enforced, that at least some form of face covering be worn in indoor settings. The debate has moved on further to whether or not they are effective outdoors. 

The World Health Organization recommends that face masks should only be worn outside when one "cannot maintain physical distance from others." However, Spain, Italy and parts of France have made wearing a mask outdoors mandatory.

England remains an outlier, not only compared with its European neighbors, but also compared with the other UK nations – who set their own, decentralized coronavirus protocols separate from London. 

Mandatory face mask wearing has not been enforced by any UK authority, but earlier this week, Wales's health minister said that people should consider keeping their masks on in public places. The Scottish government advice is that "face coverings" should be worn in "crowded situations where physical distancing is not always possible, such as at the school gate or at the entrance to a building."

On January 12, London tourist hotspot Borough Market became the first outdoor setting in the UK to enforce mask wearing: those who refuse can be fined 50 pounds ($68). The rules can be enforced due to the market's own set of bye-laws, which date back to the 19th century, and have been updated to address the pandemic.  

The UK's big four supermarket chains have also implemented their own rules, announcing yesterday they would bar entry to those not wearing face coverings, unless they had a valid medical reason not to.

What type of mask should you wear?

It's not only in England that smaller jurisdictions and companies are implementing regulations beyond the requirements of national states. Amid surging cases, the German state of Bavaria has made N95 masks mandatory in public spaces. National implementation of the N95 rule will now be debated in Germany's parliament.

Lothar Wieler, the president of the Robert Koch health institute which advises Germany on disease control, said that wearing heavy duty N95 masks respirator masks could help protect against 94 percent of particles, but only if worn correctly.

The N95 masks are used in healthcare settings. The main difference between it and the mouth-nose face coverings is that they can be made tighter around the face and filter the air that is exhaled as well as inhaled. Their use by medical professionals has meant that many nations, including the U.S., have discouraged the public from buying up stocks.

The WHO, as it has since the early weeks of the pandemic, advises that "non-medical, fabric masks" be worn by the general public. They do not recommend the use of N95 masks, citing a lack of evidence confirming their effectiveness when compared to medical masks. 

European countries have not enforced the same rules and standards on masks as East Asia, despite them on the whole having significantly lower COVID-19 cases and deaths. 

In May, Hong Kong citizens could collect a multi-layered, laboratory tested face mask from their local post office. The CuMask+ is made up of six layers, two of which contain small quantities of copper, which the producers state is "capable of immobilising bacteria, common viruses and other harmful substances."

Meanwhile, Singapore has distributed four rounds of filtered, reusable, free face masks, which citizens could collect from hundreds of vending machines across the country. 

Cover image: Murat Deniz/Getty