Written By: Longjam Dineshwori | Updated : June 8, 2020 12:26 PM IST
Researchers say respirators and multi-layer masks are more protective than single-layer masks.
Wearing a mask is a must to protect yourself from COVID-19 or prevent spread of the virus, but the type of mask also matters. For better protection, use a three-layer fabric mask, says the World Health Organization (WHO).
In its new guidelines released on Friday, the organization has made it mandatory for everyone to wear a three-layer fabric mask in public to prevent the spread of the infectious disease. It has also made medical masks compulsory for all people working in clinical areas of a health facility.
The agency advises that in areas with community transmission, people aged 60 and older and those with underlying conditions should wear a medical mask in situations where physical distancing is not possible, and all others should wear a three-layer fabric mask. The new recommendations are based on the findings of a research commissioned by the global health agency that found that face protections, including respirators or medical masks, can result in a large reduction of transmission of COVID-19. The study also suggested that respirators and multi-layer masks are more protective than single-layer masks.
WHO's new guidance on cloth masks
The organization recommends that cloth or fabric masks should consist of at least three layers of different materials: an inner layer of an absorbent material like cotton, a middle layer of non-woven materials such as polypropylene (for the filter) and an outer layer of a non-absorbent material such as a polyester or a polyester blend.
According to WHO officials, the recommended fabric combination "can actually provide a mechanistic barrier" and prevent contaminated droplets from people infected with COVID-19 from going through and infecting others.
WHO officials also reiterated that face masks must be worn correctly, cared for and kept clean to ensure that they are effective. "People can potentially infect themselves if they use contaminated hands to adjust a mask or repeatedly take it off and put it on, without cleaning hands in between," WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus explained in the advisory.
Here are some dos and don'ts of using non-medical masks:
Wearing a mask alone will not protect you from COVID-19, you need to follow other precautionary measures. Make sure you, and the people around you, follow these precautions suggested by the WHO -
