Government not providing quality masks, not creating awareness about it are obstacles in stopping the spread of coronavirus

Arogya Sahayya Samiti writes to Government about non-observance of WHO directives

Mumbai – ‘The State Government is appealing to citizens to use masks at the personal level to stop the spread of coronavirus. In this context, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has laid down certain important criterion – the masks should be 3-layered and manufactured with a special method. However, many instances of using handkerchiefs, cotton cloth or masks not having the capacity to prevent infection are being noticed in the State. This leads to the danger of spreading the coronavirus. Government not providing quality masks, not creating awareness about it are obstacles in stopping the spread of coronavirus. The Government should realise the seriousness of the matter and take firm steps to ensure the use of quality masks and follow the criterion laid down by the WHO’, demanded Arogya Sahayya Samiti in a representation to the Chief Ministers and Principal Secretaries of Health Departments of Maharashtra, Goa, Delhi, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.

The representation states – As per the guiding principles of WHO on 5^th June 2020 on masks, the single layer, double layer masks cannot stop the infection of coronavirus. To stop the spread of coronavirus, at least 3 layers are required for a ‘non-medical mask’ prepared from cloth. The outer level of the mask should be of Hydrophobic (Polypropylene, polyester or their mixture), the middle layer synthetic and non-woven material (Polypropylene or layer of cotton) and the inner layer should be of Hydrophilic material (Mixture of cotton and cloth).

In the directives issued by the Government, a vague message about wearing a handkerchief or mask has been given. As a result, people are indiscriminately using handkerchiefs or cotton masks under the impression that they are following Government instructions.

The Government should issue orders to the concerned departments to conduct a serious study on the quality of masks being sold and used in society.

The Food and Drug Administration should ensure that the masks being sold in the market meet the minimum standards and take further action.

Selling masks which are not of the required standards should be declared an offence. Likewise, re-usable masks should be made available everywhere.

The Government should issue orders to the concerned departments to conduct a study on the quality of masks being sold and used !