Wear the mask properly. It’s how you protect others, and yourself

Wear the mask properly. It’s how you protect others, and yourself

Covering The Face Essential To Prevent Infection From Droplets & Break Corona Transmission Chain, Say Experts

Snehil.Sinha@timesgroup.com

04.06.2020

The importance of wearing a mask is now widely understood. Look around you, and almost everyone has a mask strapped on. But how many are wearing the mask properly? How many have pulled it under their noses or their mouths?

As India unlocks, it’s important to know how to wear the mask right. Numerous health experts and doctors have pointed out that wearing a mask on the chin or under the nose is not only pointless, it also increases the wearer’s chance of contracting an infection.

The other statistic to remember is the most recent assessment of Covid-19 cases in the country by ICMR in which it said 28% patients – of the 40,184 who tested positive between January 22 and April 30 -- are asymptomatic. Hence, before they were tested, there was nothing to suggest to these patients or those around them that they had already been infected by the novel coronavirus.

Covid-19 has become a pandemic because it is highly contagious. Asymptomatic carriers increase that risk. This is why health experts across the world have argued in favour of everyone wearing a mask. Many countries have issued national advisories. India was an early mover in asking all citizens to wear masks.

Leading US-based healthcare expert Dr Atul Gawande says wearing masks is a “responsibility” people must take seriously to stop the spread of Covid-19. The basic logic of wearing a mask, according to Dr Gawande, is, “I protect you; you protect me.”

Covid-19 spreads primarily from person to person through respiratory droplets. Research has shown it’s not just coughing and sneezing but also the simple act of talking which lead to emission of droplets that may infect another person. Wearing a mask properly is effective both ways, by offering protection against droplets and by reducing emission.

“It is going to be more and more important to wear masks for your own and others’ protection,” Dr Randeep Guleria, director of AIIMS, told TOI. He added that while it wasn’t mandatory earlier for uninfected people and the general public to wear masks, the government has been asking everyone to do so.

“This is because, over time, there has been increasing research and data that shows covering of the face is essential to prevent droplet infection and break the chain of transmission. We are increasingly seeing that even asymptomatic people or pre-symptomatic people can be infectious. This means that you may not have any symptom and you may look healthy, but you may still be carrying the virus. In this case, if you wear a mask, chances of the virus going into the environment and spreading through you is reduced a lot. If another person you meet is also wearing a mask, that is further prevention and there is a double barrier for the virus,” said Dr Guleria.

If two people meet and neither is wearing a mask, he added, the risk of transmission of the virus is very high. If one of them is wearing a mask, the risk is medium and if both are wearing a mask, the risk is low. “So, people should keep their faces covered with a mask and also ask others to do so, for the benefit of the community,” Dr Guleria said.

Hence, it is important to wear a mask that fits well and covers the nose and mouth all the time. There should no gaps or holes in the mask. “People often wear the mask around their neck or chin and keep pulling it up and down. This is risky and if there’s virus on their hand, it will be transmitted to their nose and mouth. So, one should always avoid touching the front of the mask. We are not used to wearing masks, but this is the only way to prevent the disease and people need to develop a habit,” said Dr Amerta Ghosh of Fortis Centre for Diabetes, Obesity and Cholesterol, Delhi.

As wearing masks becomes essential, the market for its sales has also grown. Several retailers and e-commerce platforms are selling various kinds of masks, also leading to confusion among people about what kind of mask should be used. While N95 masks are being sold at high rates, they are not essential for all. “N95 masks need to be used only if you are coming in contact with a Covid patient. For the general public, a normal three-ply mask is sufficient. It is cheap and easily available everywhere now. However, it can be used only for six hours and cannot be reused,” said Dr Ghosh.

Homemade cotton masks or face cloths can also be used. “Everyone’s facial structure is different and one size may not fit all. It is very important that your mask fits around your face and there are no gaps. This is why a simple face cloth tied tightly around the face is a great option. It can be washed daily and reused. If the mask does not fit, the virus can still enter through the gaps when you breathe in or if you try to adjust it continuously,” said Dr Guleria.

Various state governments have made the use of masks in public mandatory, failing which a fine can also be imposed. Administrations are now speaking to RWAs to increase awareness and inculcate a sense of responsibility in people on wearing masks.

“It is a matter of self-regulation and people need to understand they have to wear masks for their own protection as well. However, we have also asked shops to not sell goods to those without masks, and many shopkeepers are doing this now. We also held a video-conference with all RWAs and asked them to ensure this within common areas of societies,” said Suhas LY, Noida’s district magistrate. Likewise, Haryana too has a provision to fine those not wearing a mask. “If anyone is not wearing a face mask, a penalty of Rs 500 can be imposed. If the fine is not paid, it will attract proceedings under Section 188 of the IPC,” said Dr Suraj Bhan Kamboj, director of Haryana health services.

RWAs have also pledged support to ensure people wear masks. Some markets and societies have started keeping masks at their gates and not allowing people inside without it. “It is difficult for everyone to get into the habit but constant reminders and penalties may help,” said Rajiva Singh of the RWA umbrella body in Noida, NOFAA. “We are keeping a close watch to ensure people wear masks all the time when they are outside,” said Chaitali Mandhotra, RWA member of Ardee City in Gurgaon.

TOI APPEAL

Over the next few weeks, and months, what lies before us are uncharted waters. We must learn to navigate past a pandemic while hauling our lives and livelihoods back on track and keep the virus at bay in the process. In the days to come, the number of people who will step out of their homes will increase exponentially. Plane and train travel has resumed. At some point, public transport will, as well. The only insurance against the virus, a vaccine, is some distance away. We cannot control that. But there are things we can control which, together, are a potent shield against the virus – hand washing, social distancing and wearing a mask every time we step out of home. In any scenario where there are other people around you, the mask — properly worn — becomes all the more important. It protects not just you — by providing protection, depending on the make of the mask — against respiratory droplets through which the virus that causes Covid-19 spreads, but also those around you by reducing the emission of droplets. If everyone is wearing a mask properly, the group on the whole becomes safer. As India unlocks, we appeal to all our readers: wear a mask, wear it properly, protect others and protect yourself. Community spirit can not only keep the pandemic at bay, it can help defeat it.