KUALA LUMPUR: Health experts have voiced their support for the government to consider making wearing face masks in public mandatory, saying that the simple act of donning the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) can prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Medical Mythbusters Malaysia (M3) president and co-founder Dr Ahmad Firdaus Mohd Haris said the organisation backed the proposal made by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Monday as medical studies had shown that wearing face masks could slow transmissions and reduce Covid-19 infections.
Dr Firdaus cited a study by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on influenza, influenza-like illness and human coronavirus, excluding Covid-19, that proved that the use of a medical mask could prevent the spread of infectious droplets from a symptomatic infected person to someone else and potential contamination of the environment by these droplets.
"There was a recent study by Texas A&M University that examined the chances of Covid-19 infection and how the virus is easily passed from person to person.
"Based on the trends and mitigation procedures in China, Italy and New York City, researchers found that using a face mask reduced the number of infections by more than 78,000 in Italy from April 6 to May 9 and by more than 66,000 in New York City from April 17 to May 9.
"Therefore, we support the government's proposal. From a public health standpoint, the mandatory use of face masks in public can help prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the community," he told the New Straits Times.
However, he said, wearing face masks in public was only one component of infection control and other aspects need to be considered as well, such as proper disposal, appropriate use and enforcement.
"For face masks to be effective, it has to be used appropriately and discarded properly.
"If used inappropriately, the face mask can be the cause of respiratory infections, which can be detrimental to health."
Dr Firdaus said surgical or three-ply single-use masks could repel aerosols or droplets with contaminants better than fabric masks. He said should the government decide to make the wearing of face masks compulsory, guidelines must be drawn up and the elements of enforcement could include training of officers to recognise any breach in standard operating procedures (SOPs) when using PPE.
Asked if heavy penalties should be imposed on offenders, Dr Firdaus said some members of M3 believed that it was unnecessary to burden certain segments of the community.
"The Bottom 40 per cent (B40) group cannot be expected to choose between using RM10 to purchase face masks and buying a decent meal for their families. Penalising the B40 for not wearing face masks in public may lead to socioeconomic issues. These are some things that the government needs to consider.
"Making it mandatory for businesses to provide face masks to customers may not be feasible as most of them are facing losses and are just starting to breathe again.
"It all comes back to one's self-awareness and sense of responsibility to put on a face mask. Everyone has to #KitaJagaKita."
Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr N. Ganabaskaran said face masks should be worn when around people in public as Covid-19 carriers could be asymptomatic.
"It may be uncomfortable, but it is worth it if it can keep you or your loved ones out of the hospital.
"If wearing face masks in public is going to be made mandatory, then it should be made more affordable for the people as usage of masks will be for the long term.
"Cloth face masks may be worth investing in as it may be more cost effective over the long term. It also helps keep the environment clean. We have noticed that the streets are now littered with disposable face masks."
He said MMA observed that the number of people wearing face masks in public had dropped, indicating that perhaps people no longer felt as threatened by the virus as during the early days of the Movement Control Order.
The authorities, he said, should increase monitoring on SOP compliance, otherwise the public would not take Covid-19 preventive measures seriously.
"People must be made to understand that we all have an important role to play in the fight against Covid-19. It is a collective responsibility."
Malaysian Public Health Medicine Specialist Association president Datuk Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar said he agreed with the proposal to make face masks mandatory, a move that had been enforced in Vietnam, Venezuela, France, Germany, Pakistan and Slovakia.
"It should be made compulsory, but not in all areas. It should be focused at crowded public places, such as markets, malls, public transport terminals, pasar malam and schools.
"People have to be responsible and do it without being forced to do so. But enforcement is needed to complement the government's advisory through random monitoring of targeted areas."