Page 36 As a result of global shortages of Personal Protective Equipment, PPE, especially the dearth in the availability of face masks, the Federal Government has encouraged Nigerians to improvise with homemade face masks, handkerchiefs, or scarfs, to shield themselves from contracting the coronavirus.
The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, disclosed this on Monday, in Abuja, at the briefing of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19.
According to him: “We are recommending the use of face masks, but are not saying it is compulsory. One additional way to protect against infection, is the use of face mask, and it includes also the improvised homemade face mask, or anything that covers your face, even a handkerchief, or a scarf.
“It does not have to be hospital-grade, medical grade, or surgical grade; you can make your own and preferably, in fact, your mask can be washable, ironed, and reused.
“The purpose of that mask, is to shield you and shield your opposite, because if anyone is emitting any kind of droplets or particles, that is, if someone is coughing or sneezing, they push out particles and droplets, which can travel in certain distance, and be able to infect somebody who is less than two meters away.
“That kind of emission also takes place when people are shouting, laughing, exclaiming, or even when they sigh.
“These emissions can be captured when you are wearing a protective barrier. It must be washed preferably in warm water, and then dried, and then ironed. If you do that, you are safe to reuse it the next day.
“We are making that a recommendation, and also particularly stretching it to those who handle food; food vendors are particularly advised to do that, in the interest of their customers.”
He further added: “We are trying to build up our stockpile, because we need a good stockpile to be ready, for any eventuality in future, particularly those things that we do not manufacture here. The Covid-19 outbreak is a huge thing, especially when we are in an era of community transmission.
“We are very keen to build a stockpile, and to accept donations of PPE in our stores. We have medical stores in Lagos and Abuja. We keep all these things and use them very judiciously and carefully, so that it will last us for the foreseeable future.”
