Workers should get masks:

Health

World Health Organization’s Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said medical workers at frontline have priority in getting masks to deal with coronavirus.

At an online news conference, Ghebreyesus expressed concern mass use of medical masks by general population could exacerbate shortage of these specialized masks for the people who need them most.

He said those who should wear masks are patients or people attending sick persons at home, but recognized that governments recommended the use of medical and nonmedical masks among the general population.

WHO, he said, was today issuing guidance and criteria to support countries in making mask-wearing decision.

Countries, said Ghebreyesus, could consider using masks in communities where other measures such as cleaning hands and physical distancing were harder to achieve because of lack of water or cramped living conditions.

“If masks are worn, they must be used safely and properly. WHO has guidance on how to put on, take off and dispose of masks,” he said.

In health care facilities, WHO continues to recommend the use of medical masks, respirators and other personal protective equipment for health workers, he said.

There is no magic solution for the virus, he noted, and countries must continue to find, test, isolate and treat every case and trace every contact.

“Mask or no mask, there are proven things all of us can do to protect ourselves and others - keep your distance, clean your hands, cough or sneeze into your elbow, and avoid touching your face,” said the WHO chief.

More than 70 countries have joined WHO’s Solidarity Trial to accelerate the search for an effective treatment. About 20 institutions and companies are racing to develop a vaccine. (AP)