WHO backs masks where social distancing is difficult

The use of masks has been a hot topic ever since the pandemic first emerged in China in December.

People wearing face masks to protect against the new coronavirus walk outside of a shopping mall at a pedestran shopping street in Beijing. China's capital is lowering its emergency response level to the second-lowest starting Saturday for the coronavirus pandemic. That will lift most restrictions on people traveling to Beijing from Wuhan and surrounding Hubei province, where the virus first appeared late last year. AP Photo

Health professionals take care of a patient at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) ward where patients infected with the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, are being treated at the Doctor Ernesto Che Guevara Public Hospital in Marica city, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. AFP

Health professionals work at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) ward where patients infected with the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, are being treated at the Doctor Ernesto Che Guevara Public Hospital in Marica city, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. AFP

A South Korean woman receives body temperature check from soldier as she arrive visits at the Seoul National Cemetery during a 65th anniversary of the Memorial Day amid coronavirus pandemic in Seoul, South Korea. South Korea marks the 65th anniversary of the Memorial Day for people who died during the military service in the 1950-53 Korean War. Getty

Gravediggers carry a coffin during a funeral at the Jardines del Recuerdo Cemetery in Managua, amid the new coronavirus pandemic. AFP

People protest following the death of a young man while in police custody, after he had been arrested allegedly for failing to comply with measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus in Guadalajara, Jalisco state, Mexico. AFP

Passengers wearing protective face masks are seen at the concourse amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at Tokyo Metro's newly-opened Toranomon Hills Station in Tokyo, Japan. REUTERS

A protester raises his fist in the streets of Sao Goncalo during a protest amidst the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Sao Goncalo, Brazil. About 300 people walked and shouted slogans against the government of Jair Bolsonaro and protested against the death of the American George Floyd and the boy Joao Pedro (murdered by police in the Salgueiro community). The protesters were sympathizers of the "All Against Racism Movement" and "Black Lives Matter." Getty

Visitors at the sold out open air cinema watch a movie in Berlin, Germany. As part of the easing measures concerts, kino and other open air events are allowed from June 2nd in the German capital, with a maximum of 200 people. The lock down measures have largely eased nationwide, with stores, restaurants and cafes open again, though under certain restrictions to avoid people crowding together. The economic outlook as a whole remains uncertain, prompting the German government to approve a EUR 130 billion stimulus package earlier this week. Getty

Disguised as characters of "Alice in Wonderland" and wearing face masks against the spread of the novel coronavirus, Venezuelan migrants perfom in Bogota. AFP

People stand in a line waiting food outside a community center during the coronavirus crisis in Padre Rodolfo Ricciardelli neigborhood, before knowed as Villa 1-11-14, in Buenos Aires, Argentina one of the neighborhood most affected by COVID-19. EPA

The shadows of synthetic macaws are cast on the pavement backdropped by a mural of a macaw as pedestrians wearing protective face masks walk past, in the Petare neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela. President Nicolas Maduro and Venezuela's opposition, led by Juan Guaido, have agreed to measures for battling the new coronavirus to be overseen by international health workers, a first step in years toward cooperation between bitter political rivals for the benefit of the country. AP Photo

Police offciers stand guard as travellers wearing protective face masks queue for check-in on an Air Austral flight to Paris, from Dzaoudzi Airport in Petite Terre on the French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte, as measures to curb the spread of the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) are maintained on Mayotte over concerns about the continued spread of the virus there and a fragile health system. AFP

People walk along a street outside the Jama Masjid after the government eased a nationwide lockdown imposed as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus in the old quarters of New Delhi. AFP

People walk in a park after it was reopened with the easing of the lockdown against the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Lahore, Pakistan. Countries around the world are taking increased measures to stem the widespread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus which causes the Covid-19 disease. EPA

A public health officer checks the temperature of a Muslim man as he arrives to attend Friday prayers at a mosque in the southern Thai province of Narathiwat as restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus are slowly eased. AFP

The World Health Organisation on Friday backed the use of fabric facemasks in places where the new coronavirus is widespread and physical distancing is difficult, in a change of advice.

As the deadly virus continues to spread, the WHO issued updated guidance on who should wear a mask, when it should be worn and what it should be made of.

But the UN health agency stressed that facemasks alone "will not protect you from Covid-19" and people suffering with the virus should not be out in public if they can possibly avoid it.

"In light of evolving evidence, WHO advises that governments should encourage the general public to wear masks where there is widespread transmission and physical distancing is difficult -- such as on public transport, in shops, or in other confined or crowded environments," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

In areas with community-level virus transmission, "we advise that people aged 60 years or over, or those with underlying conditions, should wear a medical mask in situations where physical distancing is not possible", he added.

In an update affecting healthcare workers, the WHO now recommends that in areas with widespread virus transmission, all people working in clinical areas of a health facility should wear medical masks, not just those dealing with patients with COVID-19.

The WHO also issued new guidance on the composition of non-medical fabric masks for the general public, advising that they should consist of at least three layers of different material.

The inner layer should be water-absorbent, such as cotton; the middle layer should be from a material like non-woven polypropylene, and acts as a filter; while the outer layer should be water-resistant, such as polyester.

The WHO's emergencies director Michael Ryan stressed that putting on a fabric mask is primarily about preventing the wearer from possibly infecting others, rather than self-protection.

"It's an altruistic act," he said.

And Tedros stressed that masks were only one part of an effective strategy to suppress the virus -- and should not lure people into a false sense of security.

He said they were not a replacement for physical distancing and hand hygiene.