As provinces detail plans on how economies will be restarted, Interior Health officials were asked why the use of non-medical masks isn’t being promoted more to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
During a virtual town hall, IHA Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Sue Pollock says if you do wear a mask, to make sure it is done correctly to protect both yourself, and people around you.
“Really there is no evidence to say it provides protection for you as you are wearing the masks,” she said. “We know that when people wear masks, especially those that aren’t used to wearing masks, they are more likely to fiddle with it or touch their face and adjust the straps, which can lead to contaminating themselves potentially.”
“As well, we know the masks get dirty.”
Pollock says to also make sure that you’re leaving medical masks and N95 respirators for healthcare professionals who need it the most.
“We’ve heard a little bit about a change in language in terms of the use of homemade and cloth masks,” Pollock added. “We are also seeing people who are still opened the businesses having their employees wearing them, and we know there is interest in the public.”
“Maybe it helps the public to know that they can do something right, it’s something that they can control.”
And Pollock says its important to remember that the use of masks should be combined with other prevention measures like frequent hand washing and physical distancing.
“If people are wearing them, and maybe they are very and very early symptomatic stage of COVID-19, it can help to keep their droplets in, those respiratory droplets. And we say, it’s a little bit equivalent to our recommendation that you sneeze or cough into your elbow,” she added.
“It can help to contain your droplets and protect other people from you.”
As of last Monday, April 20, airline passengers in Canada may be denied boarding their flights if they don’t have a non-medical face mask with them, a requirement that Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry thinks could be in place for the foreseeable future.
