Mandatory wearing of a mask, but which one to save lives?

Instead of Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr voiceless on issues related to the covid-19 pandemic, it was a minister of the interior at a press conference who had it both ways, wearing the jacket of the minister of health and responding almost half-heartedly to journalists on the epidemiological situation and announcing in the wake of the new measures taken by the government.

For Aly Ngouille Ndiaye, faced with the upsurge in the number of infected people and deaths linked to the coronavirus, wearing a mask therefore remains compulsory for all citizens in order to limit the risks of the spread of the coronavirus.

Where to wear the masks?

In administration and private services, in shops and transport. Any violation of these provisions, warns the Minister of the Interior, will be “punished”, warned the Minister of the Interior.

Forcing Senegalese to wear masks constitutes a bulwark to prevent symptomatic or asymptomatic carriers of the coronavirus from infecting those around them. Wearing a mask protects us but above all it would prevent infecting vulnerable people such as the elderly who die from it the most.

But is the mask within the reach of everyone? In other words, is the goorgorlou who pulls the devil by the tail inclined to buy a mask rather than a kilo of rice? What mask are we talking about? Of that of the general public in fabric, for non-sanitary use or of that called surgical? Are masks in terms of protection the same? What will the government contribute?

So many questions that cross our minds after Aly Ngouille Ndiaye’s speech. It is known that the masks manufactured by textile manufacturers and intended for mass consumption meet specific health standards. But to what extent do they protect us from infectious droplets? Next to it, there are also homemade masks, most of which, if not all, are not standardized or tested even if it is a barrier gesture which nevertheless limits the dispersion of postilions. We even remember that the WHO had alerted in a document on the effectiveness of a fabric mask which would largely depend on the tightness of its fabrics because they are the ones which filter the droplets potentially contaminated by Covid-19. .

For the WHO, the mask must have three layers of fabric to constitute a real barrier against the virus. Is the Senegalese Lamda able to change a mask that must not be worn for more than 4 hours or to throw it away at the slightest wear or deformation?

It is known that the protective mask prevents us from contracting a virus, so do our best to comply with the measures enacted, but keep in our sights reflexes to protect ourselves such as frequent hand washing with soap or hydroalcoholic solution.

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