With the cities and towns gradually opening, everyone needs to wear a mask at public places to keep the coronavirus away, especially when social distancing is not possible.
But what kind of mask?
There are extremely effective professional masks called 95 Mask. There are a variety of fashion style masks. There are regular masks.
According to experts, the best affordable and easily made masks can be that contains at least three layers.
The World Health Organization has updated its guidance on the composition of fabric masks and other face coverings, based on research commissioned by the UN agency.
Masks can be purchased or homemade and should contain three layers: ideally a cotton lining, a polyester outer layer, and a middle “filter” made of polypropylene, or some other non-woven material, the organization says.
“With those three layers, and in that combination, that fabric can actually provide a mechanistic barrier that if someone were infected with COVID-19, it could prevent those droplets going through and infecting someone else”, Dr. Maria van Kerkhove, a WHO epidemiologist says.
But wearing a mask alone is not a guaranteed protection against the highly infectious disease.
Experts say masks can also create a false sense of security as people tend to forget other health precautions.
“I cannot say this clearly enough: masks alone will not protect you from COVID-19,” Tedros Adhanom, the WHO Director-General, told a news briefing in Geneva on Friday.
