Jahnavi Sarma
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Written By: Jahnavi Sarma | Published : November 4, 2020 2:22 PM IST
A non-medical mask should be made of at least three layers, two of which should be tightly woven material fabric, such as cotton or linen.
The second wave of COVID-19 is now raging across many countries of the world including Canada and Europe. It has led to new panic and people are being urged to take precautionary measures more seriously. Lockdowns have been imposed in different places of Europe and the UK. In Canada too, the situation is not much different. The Public Health Agency of Canada has urged citizens of the country to wear face masks that are made of three layers, including a filter, amid an ongoing second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. At Tuesday's press conference in Ottawa, Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said that adding a filter layer to masks will provide Canadians with extra protection against the virus, Xinhua news agency reported.
Tam said that masks with a filter will help trap small infectious particles and further protect against COVID-19 as the degree of protection varies based on the construction, materials, and particularly the fit of non-medical masks. "I keep emphasizing that fit is one of the most important things," she said. "It fits around your mouth, on your nose, and it has to cover your mouth and nose. So that's really important." When buying new face masks in the future, Tam said Canadians should look for those made with these three layers.
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, a non-medical mask should be made of at least three layers, two of which should be tightly woven material fabric, such as cotton or linen. The third of middle layer should be a filter-type fabric, such as non-woven polypropylene fabric. The new recommendation on face masks comes after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned early Tuesday that the window to control the second wave of the pandemic is "closing fast" as the number of new cases were surging unabated.
Trudeau asked Canadians to limit their contacts to what is absolutely essential, wear a face mask and practice good hand hygiene to help control the increasing cases. "We have to work together right now to beat the second wave. It won't be easy, but I know we can do it," Trudeau said. Canada has so far reported a total of 244,636 Covid-19 cases and 10,276 deaths.
According to the World Health Organisation, this is the time when you need to make wearing a mask a normal part of being around other people. The organisation says that masks should be used as part of a comprehensive strategy of measures to suppress transmission and save lives. However, the use of a mask alone is not sufficient to provide an adequate level of protection against COVID-19
Here are the basics of how to wear a mask, according to WHO.
Here are some specifics on what type of mask to wear and when, depending on how much virus is circulating where you live, where you go and who you are, according to WHO guidelines.
(With inputs from IANS)
