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Medical Practitioner Dr Winston Dawes is urging the government to begin distributing proper masks to Jamaicans to stem the spike in COVID-19 cases.
Dr Dawes, speaking Sunday on Radio Jamaica's That's a Rap, said many Jamaicans have been re-wearing disposable masks because they cannot afford to replace them.
This, he said, poses a serious risk as the masks become thin over time and then provide very little protection.
“It really serves no purpose, other than you’re not breaking the law,” he said in reference to wearing those masks repeatedly.
He warned that, if this practice is not checked, “over the coming weeks (it) could become the source of a major outbreak.”
He added that cloth masks, if made correctly, can be quite effective, and urged the government to issue guidelines for how they should be most effectively made.
Cloth masks should consist of three layers of fabric, including cotton and nylon, he advised.
In that regard, he's advising the Ministry of Health & Wellness to provide written guidelines for homemade masks, "so that people who are making these masks are aware of what the minimum standards are."
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