The Health and Family Welfare Services Commissionerate on Tuesday issued an advisory stating that not everyone needs to wear a face mask. The advisory comes in the backdrop of many people, ranging from shopkeepers to policemen, demanding that everyone going out in public wear a mask.
The advisory states that a person has to wear a mask if he or she has symptoms such as cold, cough, fever or any other respiratory problem. Those caring for COVID-19 patients also need to wear a mask. While the former can wear a triple-layered mask, the latter has to wear an N-95 mask.
The advisory comes a day after the Bengaluru City Police circulated a video showing an officer giving a “lesson” to an individual for not wearing a mask.
Policemen across the State have been insisting that people wear masks when venturing out of their homes. Elected representatives too have joined this campaign.
However, the guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Health do not indicate that wearing of face masks is compulsory for every citizen. Only those directly dealing with COVID-19 patients in hospitals are required to wear safety gear, including N-95 masks.
Triple-layered masks, which the police are insisting should be worn by people in public spaces, are advised only for those visiting healthcare facilities. The State government too has, on many occasions, asserted these facts.
Aditya V. Bharadwaj, a Mangaluru-based consultant physician and intensivist, said that wearing of masks was not essential for a healthy person and would not ensure that he or she does not contract the disease. However, those suffering from cold and cough are advised to wear triple-layered masks to prevent infections. N-95 masks, which are already in short supply, are meant only for healthcare professionals, he said.
Several pharmacies in Mangaluru, Bengaluru and other cities do not have stock of triple-layered as well as N-95 masks, and thus the authorities’ insistence on the public wearing them has left many befuddled.
