Some practical advice I just received…
The increased infectiousness of the new UK variant actually translates to a much smaller dose of viral particles being required to cause infection – droplets around a quarter of the mass compared with the earlier type. This means that they float in the air much more easily, for a longer time and can drift further – so the “2 metre social distancing” recommendation is no longer adequate.
Wear a mask anywhere there are people, even outdoors.
The disposable paper masks marked as “surgical grade” and available for instance at Tesco for around £5 for ten have been found in testing to be very nearly as effective as N95 masks. However, because the folds come into contact with each other if these masks are reused, they should only be used only once.
Sorry, I don’t yet have references for either of these claims, however my source has got almost everything right so far so I intend to follow this advice.