No need for masks, gloves – Gauteng Health
The Gauteng Department of Health says there is no need for ordinary South Africans to wear masks and other protective gear to stop themselves from contracting coronavirus.
The department’s spokesperson Kwara Kekana says South Africans who wear masks and gloves, when it’s not necessary, end up fiddling and touching their faces.
This, in turn, ends up transferring the infection from surfaces to their face - leading to the further spread of the virus.
“Members of the public have been seen in various settings wearing masks and gloves as a form of protection,” says Kekana.
“If you are not sick, have no respiratory symptoms and you are not providing care to sick individuals or people with respiratory symptoms, you do not need to wear a mask or gloves.”
South Africans should instead wash their hands regularly using water and soap or an alcohol-based hand sanitiser, as opposed to using protective equipment.
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