THE DUP has said elected representatives should "set an example" after East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson was pictured wearing a face mask under his nose on a recent flight.
Mr Wilson, who has been a vocal critic of face coverings, was captured on camera on an Aer Lingus flight from London Heathrow to Belfast City Airport by a concerned fellow passenger.
The passenger, who did not want to be named, said the East Antrim MP "sat the whole flight with the mask below his nose with no regard to wearing it correctly".
The DUP last night said Mr Wilson "should not have worn the mask in this manner".
Scientists and medical experts say for a mask to be most effective, it should cover both the mouth and nose, which is essential as the coronavirus can be unknowingly spread via respiratory droplets when a person speaks, sneezes, laughs or coughs.
Mr Wilson faced criticism in September after a photo emerged online showing him on a London tube train reading a magazine without wearing a face covering.
The MP initially said he had removed his mask to answer a phone call. He later acknowledged he should have had a mask on.
However, he said it was "sad that we have now become like East Germany under the Stasi where members of the public think it is acceptable to act as snoops".
Mr Wilson was a critic of face coverings being made mandatory earlier this year.
In July he tweeted a photograph of himself in an ice-cream shop in Co Antrim not wearing a mask, with the message: "You can't eat ice cream when you're muzzled".
A DUP spokesperson last night said: "Face coverings have been mandatory on public transport since 10 July 2020.
"Their purpose is to protect others rather than the wearer. The covering should be worn correctly over the nose, mouth and around the sides of the face.
"Elected representatives should set an example where possible.
"Mr Wilson should not have worn the mask in this manner on the aeroplane."
