Everyone need not wear a mask: Ministry of Health

March 17: Amidst rising coronavirus scare, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday put out a notice, saying that not everyone is required to wear a mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has crippled not only India, but the rest of the world as well. Probably, shortage of masks and other protective gear in several parts of the country has prompted the Union Health Ministry to come up with three basic guidelines on who, on priority, should wear masks.

In a tweet on Monday, the ministry said “everyone need not wear a mask” and that only three categories of people need to wear. These are: 1) those who have coronavirus symptoms such as cough, fever or difficulty in breathing, 2) those who are caring for coronavirus or COVID-19 patients or suspected patients, 3) health workers attending to patients with respiratory symptoms.”

The Ministry has also given the process on how to handle the masks:

• Unfold pleats of the mask; make sure that they are facing down
• Change the mask after six hours or as soon as it becomes wet
• Place the mask over your nose, mouth, and chin and ensure there are no gaps on either side of the mask. Adjust to fit.
• Never reuse disposable masks and dispose the used masks into closed bins after disinfecting them
• Avoid touching the mask while using it
• Do not touch the potentially contaminated outer surface of the mask while removing it
• Do not leave the mask hanging from the neck
• After removal of the mask, clean your hands with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand rub disinfectant.

Good morning!

Everyone need not wear a mask.#COVID2019 #IndiaFightsCorona #SwasthaBharat pic.twitter.com/C0nfrk18WQ

— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) March 17, 2020

The Health Ministry’s tweet “Everyone need not wear a mask. Know when and how to wear a mask” came on a day when the number of people who died of fast-spreading coronavirus in India rose to three and those infected to over 125. Surprisingly, earlier the government had announced that face masks and hand sanitizers were essential commodities till the end of June in its efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus.

The COVID-19 Tracker www.https://bing.com/covid currently lists 197,791 as total confirmed cases, 108,157 active cases, 72,298 recovered cases and 7,940 deaths. As per the website, total number of confirmed cases in India stands at 125 with 13 recovered cases and 3 fatal cases.