'Wear facemasks properly' - Dr Noor Hisham

Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah stressed today that a facemask must be worn properly for it to be effective in preventing the spread of diseases.

He said the facemask should cover the entire nose up to the chin, while leaving it around the forehead or neck, or having it only cover part of the nose and mouth was not appropriate, and in fact, posed a risk of contamination or infection.

"The use of a facemask is an important method to prevent the spread of respiratory diseases that are transmitted through viruses, including COVID-19.

"It can be used either to protect healthy people from being infected, or to prevent infected people from infecting others," he said during a press conference on COVID-19 here today.

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in his special address on the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) yesterday said the government was considering making it obligatory to wear facemasks in public places following the COVID-19 threat, and further details would be announced once the relevant regulations had been finalised.

Dr Noor Hisham said facemasks could be used for six medical and non-medical (non-medical) reasons.

He said the details on the use of facemasks for medical purposes involving health workers are mentioned in the ‘Guidelines on COVID-19 Management in Malaysia’.

Meanwhile, it is recommended for those who do not have any symptoms to use a facemask when they are in a place where COVID-19 is widespread and social distancing is difficult to practice, for example, in public places and crowded environments.

People with respiratory tract issues, as well as those in high-risk groups such as the elderly and with a background of having chronic diseases, should use a surgical 3-ply mask in high-risk and crowded areas, he said.

According to Dr Noor Hisham, the World Health Organisation (WHO) also recommended the use of non-medical fabric type masks with three layers, where the inner layer is water-absorbent (hydrophilic) and the outer layer is made of a material that is water repellent (hydrophobic), which can limit contaminants in the environment from penetrating into the wearer's nose and mouth.

“A middle hydrophobic layer made from synthetic nonwoven materials such as polypropylene or cotton can increase the filtration or resist respiratory droplets.

"The Ministry of Health would also like to remind the public that non-medical facemasks are not considered medical or personal protective equipment," he said.

In addition, he stressed that non-medical facemasks should not be worn by children below the age of two, nor by those who have difficulty breathing, are unconscious, have a disability, or who cannot remove the facemasks on their own.

Dr Noor Hisham said the ministry strongly encouraged the use of facemasks, especially in public places and high-risk areas where it was difficult to practice social distancing.

He said its use was not yet made mandatory, because if this was done under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342) those who failed to wear it could be fined or jailed.

According to him, the government is still looking into possible fines or imprisonment for those who did not wear facemasks, but the MOH is recommending its use because it could cut down the risk of infection by up to 65 per cent.

"Now the issue is if it is made mandatory (to wear a mask) whether we will impose a fine of RM1,000 on those who do not wear it in public places, or a prison sentence. That is being examined before we implement the mandatory facemask rule," he said.

Dr Noor Hisham said there were two methods to prevent the spread of COVID-19, namely the use of facemasks and social distancing, which could reduce the chain of infection by up to 70 per cent.

-- BERNAMA