NATIONAL NEWS - A huge debate is raging in South Africa following a statement by the Western Cape Ministry of Health asking the general public – those who have not been exposed to or infected with the coronavirus – to refrain from wearing masks and gloves.

Western Cape Health Minister Nomafrench Mbombo said: "Wearing a mask or gloves when going to the supermarket or pharmacy to buy essentials, is ineffective, unnecessary, and will not protect you from the coronavirus. In fact, it spreads the virus faster because it makes you a carrier from one person to another, it also gives false security that you don’t need to wash or sanitize your hands."

Her statement about masks is based on the fact that if an infected person sneezes in your direction, the droplets will stick to the mask and if you don’t sanitise your hands and mask directly after removing it, your hands and mask remain contaminated with the virus. The ministry says masks are only effective if used appropriately. 

Touching a “dirty” mask will naturally also “dirty” your hands.

Critics of this argument say that if you don’t wear a mask and someone with Covid-19 sneezes on you, chances of you being infected are almost 100%, whereas at least with a mask you block those harmful droplets. If you immediately remove the mask and place it in an oven at 70° for 30 to 60 minutes upon your return from the supermarket – and of course wash your hands - it is sterilised.

If a mask works for health workers and infected persons, surely it must work for the man in the street - or in the time of Covid-19 - during his quick dash to the shop?

A video by data scientists Jeremy Howard and Rachel Thomas of the University of San Francisco in which they appeal to every human on planet earth to wear a mask when in public, has gone viral.

Howard and Thomas says mask-use is only controversial because of limited supply. They agree that social distancing is the best protection, but most people can not stay away from others all the time. 

Taiwan, a country that produces 1 000 000 masks a day, and whose entire population don masks when outside their homes, has one of the lowest infection rates in the world. To read more about Howard and Thomas’s work and to learn how to make your own mask, click here.

Gloves off
According to www.independent.co.uk, Public Health England (PHE) told The Independent: “PHE is not recommending the use of gloves as a protective measure against COVID-19 for the general public. People concerned about the transmission of infectious diseases should prioritise good personal, respiratory and hand hygiene.”

A virologist at Imperial College London also told The Independent that they worry items like gloves give a “false sense of security” and washing hands is a far better precautionary measure.

There is wide-spread agreement that gloves may actually aid the spread of germs. Unlike a surgeon in a sterile theatre who dons gloves on squeaky clean hands before operating, and then scrubs up again after removing and discarding the gloves, the average Joe who wears gloves touch various surfaces and does not usually discard these after taking them off. And touching your face with or without gloves is a no-no.

So, as far as masks are concerned, it’s really up to your self-discipline and ability to sterilise your mask. A dirty mask can also make you sick. As for gloves, rather just wash your hands as often as possible and don’t touch your face – except when washing it!

And stay at home.

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