With increasing cases of coronavirus across the world, people are scrambling to get their hands on masks to protect themselves. In addition to maintaining hand hygiene and social distancing, people are advised to wear masks at all times. It is important to wear face masks in order to prevent the spread of the diseases, regardless of whether you have symptoms or not. Czech Republic has made masks mandatory in public spaces and other countries are following suit.
A public health expert at University of Birmingham, KK Cheng stated that masks will not only protect you but will also protect other people against the droplets coming out of your respiratory tract. He added, “It’s not to protect yourself. It’s to protect people against the droplets coming out of your respiratory tract”. Scottish Government recently changed their view and is asking people to wear masks. However, wearing of masks must not be used as an alternative to other precautions like hand washing and physical distancing. They further stated that there maybe some benefit in wearing a mask when you leave the house and enter enclosed spaces. This is relevant in cases where physical distancing is difficult like entering a grocery shop.
Benjamin Cowling, an epidemiologist at the University of Hong king stated that surgical masks and N95 respirators can prevent several respiratory infections. He added that the greatest benefit of wearing a mask is not from the shielding of the mouth of the healthy but from covering the mouth of people who are infected. People with symptoms might transmit the virus without knowing they are infected and a mask can keep you safe.
Chief Public Health Officer of Canada Dr. Theresa Tam confirmed wearing masks outside the home. Tam stated, "A non-medical mask can reduce the chance of your respiratory droplets coming into contact with others or landing on surfaces”. Even if the science is uncertain, it is important to do everything we can to stop the spread of the virus. Wearing a mask does not allow you to relax physical distancing. The mask should be worn over and above the social distancing measures. It is an added layer of protection. Since there is an increase in demand for masks, it is recommended that medical grade masks should be reserved for frontline workers. This is why the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends the use of cloth facial coverings. CDC had initially stated that general public need not wear masks but it later mentioned that it is advisable to wear face masks every time you step out of the house. Due to an increase in asymptomatic patients, it is highly recommend to wear masks whenever you need to step out of the house or if you are looking after someone with symptoms.
Since the virus is spreading without any clear transmission path, the best way to protect yourself and others is by wearing a mask. You can use a cloth mask in case of shortage of masks available in the market. David Nabarro, a UN special envoy on Covid-19 said to BBC, “The virus isn’t going to go away and we don’t know if people who have had the virus stay immune afterwards.” He added, “Yes, we will have to wear masks. Wearing a medical face mask is one of the prevention measures that can limit the spread of certain respiratory viral diseases, including Covid-19. However, the use of a mask alone is insufficient to provide an adequate level of protection, and other measures should also be adopted.
It clearly shows that leaving your house without a mask is not a good idea. In addition to social distancing and hand hygiene, you need to ensure that you have the right mask on. Do not touch your eyes or nose and always wear and remove the mask in the right manner. The mask should fit well on your face and should never be shared. If all of us take the right measures and maintain social distancing, we can significantly reduce the spread of the virus.
RHYSLEY is a Canadian based personal protective equipment manufacturer. Our manufacturing units are located in India. We have stock on 2-ply face masks, 3-ply face masks, surgical face masks and R-N95 respirator masks. For more information, please visit our website www.rhysley.org.