Everyone Should Cover Their Face When They Go Out - Here's Why
Éirígí For A New Republic is calling for everyone in Ireland to wear masks or other face covering when they come into contact with people from outside their own household during the Covid-19 outbreak.
Such scenarios would include going to the shops, using public transport, travelling in a car, working in an office or other enclosed space and any other setting where people from different households will be in relatively close proximity to each other.
The call for community-level use of masks or face coverings at this time is informed by the most recent research on the transmission routes of Covid-19, as well as the arrival of vast quantities in Ireland of PPE for use by front-line emergency and healthcare workers.
While the World Health Organisation is currently reassessing its view of community-level use of masks and other face coverings, a number of countries, regions and cities already recommend or require it.
From as early as January 22nd the Chinese government made the wearing of masks compulsory for everyone in public spaces in high risk areas such as Wuhan city. Given that China is the only country to have successfully suppressed a major outbreak of Covid-19, their view of masks cannot be dismissed.
The wearing of face masks and other forms of face coverings in public is also widespread in Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore which have all successfully contained the spread of Covid-19.
In Europe, the Czech Republic and Austria have recently made face covering compulsory in public. And today the authorities in Los Angeles and New York City have instructed residents to cover their faces when they are outdoors.
Community level wearing of masks has been compulsory in parts of China since January 22nd
The widespread wearing of masks in public will help to slow the spread of Covid-19 is three ways. Firstly by providing the wearer with some additional protection from inhaling virus-containing droplets which an infected person has ejected through coughing, sneezing, clearing their throat or other means.
Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, masks will catch a significant proportion of the droplets that are ejected by the wearer when they cough, sneeze or clear their throat. This is particularly important as the most recent research suggests that infected individuals are able to transmit the virus while exhibiting no symptoms of the illness. These people, can thus eject virus-containing-droplets with every ‘normal’ cough, sneeze or clearing of the throat, without ever knowing they are sick.
For weeks we have been told by the HSE and NHS that people should sneeze and cough into their bend of their arms to control the spread of Covid-19. Unfortunately it isn’t always possible for people to get their arm to their face in time and it’s very difficult to ensure that young children always do so.
Common sense dictates that a mask or other suitable face covering will catch at least as many droplets as coughing or sneezing into the bend of an arm. And that a mask will catch a significant number of droplets that are ejected when people can’t get their arm to their face in time.
The third way that face masks and face coverings will help contain the spread of Covid-19 is by reducing contact between between an individuals hands and their mouth and nose. This will be particularly beneficial for young children who naturally reach out to touch items within their reach and also touch their faces on a very regular basis.
Éirígí concluded some time ago that the community-level wearing should be introduced, but refrained from publicly calling for it due to the chronic shortage of PPE in the country. In that context all available masks needed to be reserved for use by healthcare and other front-line workers. This situation has now changed with the arrival of large volumes of PPE from China this week.
We believe that the HSE and NHS should now amend their public health advise to recommend community level wearing of masks and other face coverings.
As with social distancing, hand-washing and other measures it will be necessary to provide the public with basic information about the benefits and limits of wearing masks and face coverings, as well as instructions on how to use them safely.
It is extremely important that people understand that the wearing of masks or other face coverings is an additional measure to be used alongside social distancing, hand-washing and other measures designed to slow the spread of Covid-19.
Wearing a mask or other face covering does not provide the wearer with absolute protection from Covid-19 and must not be used as substitute for existing measures such as social distancing and hand-washing.
In addition to recommending community-level-use of masks, the authorities on both sides of the border should ensure the mass production of both surgical masks and non-surgical cloth masks for use by the general population after the needs of all front-line workers have been met.