A few months ago, if your friend or colleague wore a mask, you would have reacted like this:
“Are you sick?”
“Nope. Just being cautious”.
“Aiyah, don’t be so kiasu, lah. The WHO and Singaporean government both said only sick people need to wear masks.”
“Ok, but maybe they’re wrong.”
“Sure, and I’m having dinner with Bigfoot tonight.”
A few months later, Singapore and numerous other countries made a U-turn on the use of face masks, and ordered its citizens to wear masks whenever they leave their houses.
And so your colleague sent you a winking face emoji with the simple phrase “Told you so”.
“But the WHO hasn’t changed their stance, and everyone knows they’re the real authority on Covid-19,” you reply smugly.
Then, today, your friend sends you this article with the caption “Told you so, again”:
WHO Updated Its Guideline & Ask Everyone to Wear Cloth-Based Face Mask in Public
Damn you, WHO.
WHO Updated Its Guideline & Ask Everyone to Wear Cloth-Based Face Mask in Public
After months of insisting that healthy people don’t need to wear masks, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has now changed its mind and updated its guidance.
Now, the WHO is advising governments to encourage the general public to wear masks in areas where there’s a risk of transmission of Covid-19.
Governments: Bro, we did that long ago. Thanks for the advice, though.
Why the change of mind?
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At a media briefing on Friday (5 June), Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus explained that the update guidance was based on “evolving evidence” and “academic research requested by WHO”.
“Governments should encourage the general public to wear masks where there is widespread transmission and physical distancing is difficult, such as on public transport, in shops or in other confined or crowded environments,” he said.
In an interview with Reuters, the WHO’s technical lead expert on Covid-19, Maria Van Kerkhove, said that they’re advising people to wear “fabric masks” in particular.
“We have new research findings,” she said.
There literally isn’t a person in the world who doesn’t know that.
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Even hamsters know about it.
Masks Not Enough
Dr Tedros stressed, however, that masks are not enough to combat the coronavirus outbreak.
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“I wish to be very clear… masks should only ever be used as part of a comprehensive strategy in the fight against COVID.”
“Masks on their own will not protect you from COVID-19”, he said.
He said that a proper response to the pandemic will involve social distancing, hand hygiene, contact tracing, and other public health measures.
“That is what we know works. That is every country’s best defense against COVID-19.”
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Don’t Forget To Collect Your New Reusable Mask
If you’re like me, you probably haven’t collected your new resuable mask yet because you have a habit of doing things at the last minute.
CCs and RCs are no longer distributing the masks, so you’ll have to collect it from those vending machines located near your CC or RC.
Reader: When does it end?
The collection drive will end on 14 June, so you have just over a week to get it.
Reader: I’ll just do it on 14 June.
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Of course you will.
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