Wearing protective masks indoors is essential to stop the spread of COVID-19 and to protect citizens according to Eugena Tomini, head of the Surveillance and Epidemic Intelligence Service at the IPH
In an interview with ABC News, Tomini said that masks should be worn indoors, whether in the workplace or in public places such as shopping malls:
“All public institutions, and non-public ones that operate with closed spaces and that do not have the necessary space to be defined according to the levels of security as open spaces, will make it mandatory for the mask to be worn.”
Tomini also clarified the cases when the mask should be worn indoors:
“A mask should be kept in the home environment for people who are in self-isolation, who have minimal, average signs and are monitored by the responsible structures.
Or a person who serves another who has suspected signs and is self-isolated at home, of course, the person must definitely wear the mask for the entire quarantine period.”
A day ago, Minister Manastirliu announced that soon wearing masks will become mandatory in Albania. No date of implementation has been announced so far.
While wearing a mask does not guarantee that an individual will not contract COVID-19, it does provide a level of protection. Furthermore, it provides good protection against someone with the virus, transmitting it to another person.
A number of memes have circulated on social media in recent days, stating that masks cause oxygen deprivation, toxicity, and have not been peer-reviewed for effectiveness. These claims are largely baseless and false.
Wearing a mask should always be combined with social distancing, handwashing, and other hygienic protocols.
