Public health needs better messaging on the proper use of facial coverings
In the past number of weeks, in light of public health recommendations, we have seen a shift in social norms to the mass adoption of facial coverings in public spaces.
While this new norm suggests people by and large are doing their part to protect others from COVID-19, I am concerned that the ignorance of the general public around the appropriate use of facial coverings and infection control measures could counteract the benefit of public masking. As a registered nurse with a master’s degree in public health, I am disappointed in the efforts of public health federally, provincially and on municipal levels in disseminating information about the appropriate use of facial coverings.
As the practice of using facial coverings has become more socially accepted, I have yet to see high quality and widespread campaigns around their proper use. We are told “wear a face covering when social distancing is challenging,” but we are not told with any degree of clarity how to use them in a safe way. The result is that people are left to their own devices and could be inadvertently putting themselves at risk.
We have all seen them in our trav- els, maybe you are even one of them. The person with their mask around their chin, dangling from an ear, swirling around a finger, or perhaps even worn as a hat (yes, I have absolutely seen this on more than one occasion). The person who has pulled their mask down ever so slightly to pick their nose. The person who constantly touches the mask to scratch their face or readjust. The person who lacks all common logic and pulls the mask off to cough into a tissue or their hand. I am compelled to say I have seen masks used more so improperly than I have seen them used properly. So, what is the problem with this?
I would like to preface my response to these questions by reminding everyone that the No. 1 most effective method of infection control is proper and frequent hand hygiene. If I learned one thing from four years of nursing school and my work in the field, it is that proper hand hygiene is crucial in infection control. Clean hands do not spread germs.
Unfortunately, many people do not have clean hands. This is why it is so concerning that people are using facial coverings improperly in the many ways I described above.
The more your grubby hands come near your face, the more likely you are to breathe in or ingest any potential pathogens on your hands. It is uncomfortable to wear facial coverings. They are itchy and they make it difficult to breathe. The urge to scratch your nose has never been more apparent. It does not surprise me that people are fiddling with them so much.
But I implore you, unless your hands are clean, do not touch the mask or your face.
I am disappointed that this kind of information has not been delivered to the public in a manner they can understand. Public health managed to convince everyone that facial coverings are recommended.
So why are we telling people to use a facial covering without giving them the information they need to use them safely? I would argue that a short, 20-second clip demonstrating the proper use of facial coverings or proper hand hygiene presented on national television could reach a great number of people and actually empower people to take control of their own personal safety.
The provincial government spent $10 million on campaigns to spread awareness about keeping safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, but these campaigns were oversimplified. Their ads suggest “wash your hands with soap and water thoroughly and often” or “practice cough and sneeze etiquette on transit.” What do these simplified statements mean to the public?
While I do not believe these campaigns need to be drowning in scientific jargon, they need to be more informative and more practical. It is not enough to say, “wash your hands,” people need to see how to do it. It is not enough to say, “practice cough and sneeze etiquette,” people need it demonstrated to them. It is not enough to say, “wear a facial covering,” people need to know how to use it safely.
In these times where people are bombarded with more conflicting information than ever before, public health and the government need to step up and deliver high quality infection prevention and control campaigns to the masses.