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Expert calls for wider adoption of face masks, warns Gardai could become super spreaders
05/11/2020 – 05:30
By Neil Michael
Gardaí could become Covid-19’s so-called “super spreaders” if they don’t wear face masks, a leading disease control expert said.
Professor Gerry Killeen says Gardai and other workers who deal with the public should be forced to wear face masks in certain situations.
“I shudder every time I see a well-intentioned Garda without a mask at a checkpoint speaking in sequence to a line of dozens, hundreds or even thousands of motorists in one day,” he said.
“Even with a minimum distance of two meters, the accumulated risk of exposure for poor Garda is greater than any of us would like.
“If that well-intentioned essential worker becomes infected, he can become what is known as a ‘super spreader’ due to this high rate of contact even distant with others.”
The recently appointed AXA President of Research at University College Cork (UCC) believes that the use of face masks should be mandatory in certain situations.
“Ireland should make the use of face masks mandatory immediately, but not necessarily everywhere or all the time,” he said.
“Widespread use should be encouraged. It is ideal to always assume that one can silently transport and eliminate the virus and behave accordingly.
“The golden rule of infectious disease dynamics is that a small minority of people, places, or events account for the majority of transmission.”
He added: “I would like to see the masks absolutely mandatory for anyone who works in some essential service, especially for anyone delivering food, stacking shelves, moving products, or working anywhere visited by members of the public.
“Since the virus can also persist in the carton for up to a day, we generally don’t handle or open our mail until the day after delivery, and I would be reassured to know that wearing masks was mandatory in An Post.”
He noted that some Chinese studies have shown that the transmission occurred between people who had nothing more in common than the mall they all visited.
Although the HSE does not recommend the use of non-medical masks, the Department of Health is considering them at this time.
The National Public Health Emergency Team met on May 1 to discuss them and last Tuesday, Medical Director Tony Holohan said: “In principle, we see a role in certain settings and we are working right now to try to develop what is necessary. Guide.”
He said the masks, or “face covers,” that are considered for wider public use would not be “surgical grade, or health care masks, or the type of masks that health care personnel or people a doctor recommends will wear. wear masks. ” for medical reasons. “
And he said there could be “some circumstances,” such as public transportation, where people might need to use them.
But he insisted: “Our message is not to run away and start wearing face covers. We believe they will play a role in certain settings and we will put it all out in guidance in support of any action we introduce on May 18. “
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