There are continuing efforts to stop the transmission of coronavirus around the world. Authorities in Wuhan have mandated for officials and the common public to put on face masks for corona anytime they are in public areas. Not doing it is reportedly a punishable action in the city, so people there must follow the mandate.
It is not unusual for East Asians to wear surgical masks when in public, and individuals find it comforting. Still, will the masks help to stop the virus transmission? Should one buy face mask? It depends on many factors, including what sort of person you are.
Does It Work?
There is a lack of strong evidence that a face mask works, so many health organizations globally are not recommending wearing it beyond medical or care settings. Despite the lack of the evidence, authorities in China still reprimand people for not wearing it. The authorities who work in organizations such as CDC, WHO, and PHE recognize the role the mask plays in clinical environments.
Healthy medical professionals wear face masks briefly to keep droplets of their cough and sneeze from falling on individuals they are treating. After looking at those patients at close range, they throw away the masks into recycle bins.
When they have to wear masks again for some minutes, the professionals get these from sterilized packages kept in clean draws. Still, they are not likely to go close to patients by wearing surgical masks when they feel that the latter are affected. This applies to any mask that sits rather loosely and lets air in.
However, some masks described as ‘N95 respirators’ fit more tightly and keep the medical users safe from airborne particles. The masks stop almost every airborne particle and are recommended for those who work in healthcare. Achieving the right fit with N95 respirators is not easy, so these devices are not suggested for kids or individuals having facial hair.
Is Hygiene More Important?
To cut the long story short, yes. You should do hygienic things such as washing the hands regularly and properly to stop coronavirus’s spread. For one with the virus symptoms or infection, it is not a bad idea to wear the mask so that it could be stopped from being transmitted to others. However, wearing it is not all that useful when you are not doing the little things right including washing the hands.