Dos and Don’ts of Wearing Face Mask Safely

Although there are many opinions whether a mask is needed to be worn by a healthy person, there is no denying that a mask, of any material, does help in preventing one from catching a bug.

In countries such as China, Taiwan and Vietnam, a face mask is part of the locals’ clothing. Without it, they would feel as if they were unadorned.

In fact, when I visited Vietnam last year, I was astonished to notice that the women wore layers of masks when they rode their scooters about, up to three or four layers of different materials. Looks like a single layer isn’t enough to keep the smog away.

The latest advice from the World Health Organization (WHO) is that the mask is intended for individuals in the community; public health plus infection prevention and control (IPC) professionals; health care managers, health care workers (HCWs), as well as community health workers.

The WHO has prepared these infographics to create awareness on how to wear the face mask properly, be it medical or non-medical. Feel free to check them out.