People with co-morbidities ‘should continue wearing masks’
Stellenbosch University's epidemiologist Dr Jo Barnes has advised people with co-morbidities to continue wearing face mask as a way of protecting themselves against Covid-19.
South Africans are from Thursday no longer required to wear face masks in public spaces.
Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla gazetted the latest health regulations on Wednesday evening, which also scrap the limitations on the number of people allowed at public gatherings.
Barnes says those with co-morbidities should continue wearing masks when in crowded spaces.
"Everybody who has co-mobilities or other illnesses like asthma or heart diseases or something. It would always be advisable for them, for their own protection, to wear masks in these places. Especially the vulnerable people who have low immunity, some conditions that mean their immune system is not working very well for all of those people.
“I would advise them to ignore any comments that people may make and wear a mask in crowded spaces for their own protection."
Barnes believes government could have extended the wearing of masks for a bit longer.
"Mask wearing is the cheapest and the easiest to comply with of all the regulations on the table. I am, in a way, very sorry that the government has decided to lift in door mask wearing, because inside buildings where you get Covid-19 the easiest. I for one would have liked to have seen masking wearing for a little while longer, just until we are sure that there is no new variant coming that is a danger to us."
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