A senior medical chief has warned that people wearing face masks could be "more a risk" of catching coronavirus.

The news comes as the novel coronavirus has swept across the globe, prompting people to take a number of protective measures in a bid to keep the pneumonia-like illness at bay including hand washing and social distancing.

This man took off his facemask to wipe his saliva on a subway train in Belgium:

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The warning against the use of facemasks was issued by Jenny Harries, a deputy chief medical officer in England. Per the Independent, she explained that the masks can "actually trap the virus", resulting in the person wearing the mask to breathe it in.

"For the average member of the public walking down a street, it is not a good idea," she said.

These are the symptoms of coronavirus:

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Harries continued: "What tends to happen is people will have one mask. They won't wear it all the time, they will take it off when they get home, they will put it down on a surface they haven't cleaned.

"Or they will be out and they haven't washed their hands, they will have a cup of coffee somewhere, they half hook it off, they wipe something over it.

"In fact, you can actually trap the virus in the mask and start breathing it in.

"Because of these behavioral issues, people can adversely put themselves at more risk than less."

She did add that individuals who are advised to wear one by healthcare workers should follow their guidance.

This is when you should self isolate:

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In an interview with The Independent, Jake Dunning, head of emerging infections and zoonoses [infectious disease spread between humans and animals] at Public Health England, said that there is "very little evidence of a widespread benefit" from the use of facemasks.

"Face masks must be worn correctly, changed frequently, removed properly, disposed of safely and used in combination with good universal hygiene behavior in order for them to be effective," he added.

These are the CDC recommended steps that you should follow if you think you have contracted coronavirus.

In a report from the World Health Organization yesterday, they declared that the COVID-19 outbreak is now being officially recognized as a pandemic:

"WHO has been assessing this outbreak around the clock and we are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction.

"We have therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic.

"Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly. It is a word that, if misused, can cause unreasonable fear, or unjustified acceptance that the fight is over, leading to unnecessary suffering and death."

As of yesterday's report, there have now been more than 118,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across 114 countries, and 4,291 people have lost their lives.

People wearing face masks could be 'more at risk' of catching coronavirus, medical chief warns