People wearing face masks for protection against Coronavirus on 14th March 2020 in Birmingham, England, United Kingdom. Due to the rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak a number of mainly Chinese / Asian people are wearing face masks in public. Coronavirus or Covid-19 is a new respiratory illness that has not previously been seen in humans. While much or Europe has been placed into lockdown, the UK government is due to announce more stringent rules as part of their long term strategy.