Masks help prevent spread of virus

WHETHER we like it or not, wearing face masks will be an essential part of the public health fight against the coronavirus, so we might as well get used to it now.
The Government, this week through the Office of the Controller, announced that it is now mandatory to wear facemasks in Port Moresby.
Prime Minister James Marape said the increasing number of positive cases in the capital city required the wearing of masks in public to stop the community transmission of the Covid-19.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) also recommends that face masks should be worn in public where social distancing was not possible to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Some countries already recommended or mandated face coverings in public. The primary health benefit of the mask is not so much for the wearer of the mask but for those they encounter in public.
Some people infected with the coronavirus won’t show symptoms, but they can still spread the virus through droplets from a cough or a sneeze or even through speaking.
Masks may be more effective as a “source control” because they can prevent larger expelled droplets from evaporating into smaller droplets that can travel farther.
Health experts said the evidence was clear that wearing face masks could help prevent the spread of the Covid-19 and that people wearing masks, the better.
Yesterday’s front page photograph of a bus with more than 15 passengers and all without face mask clearly shows the breaking of public health measures and hygiene safety rules intended to prevent the community transmission of the Covid-19.
Then we have a bus driver who said it was hard to force passengers to wear face masks as they enter their buses.
The opposition to mask-wearing further shows our chronic inability to come together to agree on nearly anything, or our unwillingness to make even small sacrifices for the greater good.
In China, extreme forms of social distancing and compulsory mask wearing in public places appeared to have been effective in successfully reducing the incidence after the initial explosive outbreak in Hubei Province.
In Hong Kong, although the government only advised people to stay home as far as possible and for symptomatic persons to wear a mask, almost all healthy people have been voluntarily wearing masks in public places since late January.
The experience in China clearly showed that with effective control measures, including mass mask-use, the Covid-19 epidemic is containable.
Implementation of suitable containment measures at an early stage has greatly shortened the time needed for initial containment, as shown by the rapid drop in new cases outside Hubei.
Whether the extreme forms of social distancing implemented in China are sustainable in other countries is unclear, but community mobilisation and other control measures are likely to be feasible in different socio-economic situations.
Even if you live in a community where few people wear masks, you will reduce your own chances of catching the virus by wearing one.
The bottom line is that any mask that covers the nose and mouth is beneficial.
Yes, masks can be somewhat uncomfortable or inconvenient – just as crash helmets for motorcyclists, or protective gear for workers.
But remember, the discomfort is minimal, and should be irrelevant when set against the clear benefits.