Going to town after the lockdown and boarding our popular ‘Trotro’, I could not help but espy a lot of changes. Gone are the days when you join the bus to sit beside sweating arms in a ‘no air condition’ bus stuck in traffic while waiting impatiently to get to your final destination.
The most annoying part is when the passenger next to you consistently asks you to adjust a bit so as to create some more space which obviously is not there. Or it is even worse when you have to adjust at every bus stop for that one passenger to alight.
Anyway, the most important transformation that caught my eye was how every jack and jill had a face mask on. IMPRESSIVE! I thought it was as though the president’s popular phrase:‘your life is in your own hands’ in his seventh update left a remarkable impression in the mind of the populace which seems to have caused an awakening in the nonchalant attitude of most Ghanaians. What then can I say? The right attitude is indeed key in the fight against COVID-19.
I looked out of the window across the street and noticed busy pedestrians and even hawkers all complying with the face mask agenda. However, amidst this good practice was something bizarre: the diverse designs of some face masks and how they were worn by their bearers. It seems as though all tailors and seamstresses in the country have been converted into professional face mask designer and producers. I cannot help but applaud the entrepreneur spirit of this important sector of the local economy. However, some masks were designed so big and tight that I could tell it is suffocating to those who wear them. Consequently, I observed most people pulled the mask below the chin while others covered only their mouths exposing their nostrils.
Although, there are two opposing schools of thought on the necessity of the use of face mask in this season of COVID-19 – whether it is to be used for source control (used by infected person) or prevention of COVID 19 (used by healthy persons) in community settings; I still appreciate the fact that if it must be done, then it should be done properly. As a nation, our decision-makers obviously align with the perception that if everyone is been protective by complying with the face mask protocol, the spread of the virus can be contained. So, people wearing it carelessly will only result in a wasted effort.
With disposable face mask in short supply, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recommends the wearing of cloth face mask in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, keeping in mind the group of asymptomatic.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) has outlined some major features of a non-medicated reusable face mask:
- Fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face.
- Be secure with ties and ear loops
- Include multiple layers of fabric
- Breathability of material used
- Shape of the mask
- Be able to be laundered and dried without damage or change of shape
Individuals must also ensure that they clean and sanitize their hands before wearing the mask, avoid touching the mask when using it (if they do, immediately sanitize their hands); be careful not to touch the eyes, nose and mouth when removing it; and again wash or sanitize hands immediately after removing it.
As there is a shortage of disposable face masks, it is also necessary to know how to handle and clean reusable cloth mask correctly. Always use heavy-duty detergent to breakdown soil and sweat in a basin of warm water and then place the mask on the drying rack in direct sunlight. It is advised to wash the mask as frequently as being used. When the masks are dry, store them in a covered container until you are ready to wear it again. It is also recommended to have several masks on hand that can be rotated so a clean one is always readily available.
It is also important to know that the use of mask alone does not guarantee complete protection thus masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent hand cleaning with an alcohol-based rub or soap and water.
As a nation, we are indeed not in NORMAL times and the use of masks alone is insufficient to provide an adequate level of protection, I will, therefore, beseech all Ghanaians to diligently observe all the protocols recommended to halt the spread of the virus (COVID 19)
The writer, Zina Addai is a product of the Ghana Institute of Journalism where she currently serves, as a Teaching Assistant.
