Quebec advises citizens to wear masks in public
With the novel coronavirus rampant in Quebec, masks are all the rage.
The province recommended on Friday that all citizens start wearing masks in public places as a “supplementary tool” to help slow the spread of the lethal virus.
The government’s main guidelines on how to use face coverings are summed up in a 90-second video featuring Montreal-based emergency doctor and magazine columnist Alain Vadeboncoeur that was posted to Youtube. Vadeboncoeur underlines the importance of washing one’s hands before putting on a mask and after having removed it.
A two-page document posted on the health ministry’s website also shows how people can make their own masks, with or without sewing, by using bandanas or elastics.
“If you’re sick, you don’t go take the bus,” Quebec public health director Horacio Arruda told reporters Friday in Quebec City. “You call 811, you put something over your face and you go consult a doctor.”
Quebec isn’t making masks compulsory. Children under the age of two shouldn’t wear one, nor should people with respiratory difficulties, the health ministry said. Individuals who need help to remove their face coverings also should abstain.
All non-essential businesses in Quebec are closed until May 4. Once restrictions are lifted and
Quebecers start spending more time outside, they probably will have trouble keeping their distances — whether they’re riding a bus or shopping for groceries.
In those cases, it’s better to wear even a homemade mask, Arruda said.
Quebec recommends using at least two thicknesses of cloth to make a face covering.
A tightly woven fabric such as cotton is preferable because it lets the air pass through as the user breathes.
“The important thing is a fabric that lets the air in,” Arruda said. “There are many ways to make a mask. At worst, a good scarf can help.”
Health Canada has deemed masks and respirators “essential” during the COVID-19 outbreak. That’s because face coverings help curtail the spread of the virus and protect health care workers.
While the use of “non-medical” cotton masks hasn’t been well evaluated, “there is no current evidence to make a recommendation for or against their use in this setting,” the World Health Organization said earlier this month.
Factors to take into account when buying a mask include the numbers of layers of fabric or tissue, the “breathability” of the material used, its capacity to repel water, its shape and its fit, the WHO said.
Still, experts in Quebec and elsewhere say wearing a mask shouldn’t replace other essential steps such as hand hygiene practices and physical distancing — in other words, staying at least two metres away from other people.
As the WHO put it, “maximum compliance” with hand hygiene and other infection prevention and control measures is “critical” to prevent person-to-person transmission of the virus.
Quebec’s recommendations broadly match those of the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC recently advised “wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain,” especially in areas where community-based transmission is significant.
Masks should be changed if they’re wet, soiled or damaged, as contamination can occur by touching and reusing contaminated coverings.
Face coverings should be washed regularly, Quebec and the CDC say. A washing machine should suffice for the job.