Gas claim just gas, after all

President Rodrigo Duterte might just be joking when he told Filipinos to disinfect masks with gasoline, the Department of Health (DoH) said Wednesday as the agency reminded the public to wash hands and cloth masks with soap and water.

The other masks, that can be washed repeatedly like cloth masks. That can be washed and it should be washed after use in a day. It needs to be washed, and placed under the sun before it can be used again.

Pressed to debunk the Chief Executive’s interjection, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said cloth masks should be washed properly — but not with gasoline or a branded household disinfectant as suggested by President Duterte in a speech aired Tuesday morning.

“You know how the President talks. Maybe it was one of his jokes, especially on the gasoline part,” Vergeire told reporters in a press briefing.

Meanwhile, Vergeire also reminded the public that surgical and N95 masks cannot be used repeatedly, unlike reusable masks made of cloth.

She added that cloth masks can be washed and hung to dry under direct sunlight after each use.

Vergeire, likewise, underscored the importance of properly disposing of used face masks to avoid possible transmission of the respiratory disease.

You know how the President talks. Maybe it was one of his jokes, especially on the gasoline part.

“The other masks, that can be washed repeatedly like cloth masks. That can be washed and it should be washed after use in a day. It needs to be washed, and placed under the sun before it can be used again,” she said.

The DoH previously issued a memorandum recommending the use of surgical masks for those who have COVID-19 symptoms, N95 masks for those working in hospitals, and cloth masks for those outside the hospital without symptoms.

The issue stemmed from President Duterte’s remark in his public address earlier this week, in which he said: “If you don’t have any, if you want to disinfect, find some gasoline. Submerge your hands but keep it away from others. Not inside your homes.”

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention previously warned against the use of gasoline as antiseptic, saying it may cause allergies such as dermatitis.

The World Health Organization recommends washing hands using soap and water for at least 20 seconds as a precautionary measure against COVID-19. In the absence of soap and water, the use of alcohol or alcohol-based hand sanitizer is recommended.