Should healthcare workers wear masks even for routine engagements with patients? And should the wider population also wear masks in order to suppress the spread of coronavirus? Photograph: Mark StedmanRCSI guidelines recommend staff wear masks, along with disposable aprons and gloves, even for “minimal contact activities” such as cleaning, taking a temperature or feeding a patient. UnreliableIn the community, basic homemade or surgical masks are notoriously unreliable when used by untrained people. There really isn’t any evidence there to recommend the wearing of face masks for asymptomatic individuals.”Whatever the official advice, many more people are choosing to make their own masks or have donned surgical masks, despite their limited use outdoors.

Source: The Irish Times April 02, 2020 01:07 UTC