Govts ask everyone to wear fabric face masks in public areas: WHO

World Health Organization has renewed its guidance to recommend that governments ask everyone to wear fabric face masks in public areas where there is a risk of transmission of COVID-19. 

In a press briefing yesterday, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also said, people over age 60 or those with underlying medical conditions should wear a medical mask in situations where social distancing cannot be maintained.

 

He emphasized that masks on their own will not protect them from COVID-19 and stated the importance of hand-washing, social



distancing and other measures.  WHO has previously only recommended that health care workers, those sickened by COVID-19 and their care givers wear masks.

 

Mr Tedros added that health workers in areas with widespread transmission should now wear medical masks in all areas of health facilities and not just those with confirmed COVID-19 patients. He said that doctors working in cardiology or other wards, for example, should continue to wear a medical mask even if there are no known Corona virus patients.