Moroccan Health Experts Urge Fabric Mask Use Amid COVID-19 Spread

These experts, who say they are "very aware of the global shortage of surgical and FFP2 masks", argue that strengthening barrier gestures by wearing a multi-layered fabric mask is very important at home, especially in the presence of vulnerable people and in confined or narrow spaces in the home.

Similarly, they ask to reserve the FFP2 masks for health professionals in close contact with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients, as well as the wearing of surgical masks by contact persons or suspected or confirmed COVID-19 and all other patients attending healthcare facilities, in addition to healthcare professionals and authority, service and administrative staff in frequent contact with the public, the experts’ statement said.

During this active phase of COVID-19 circulation among asymptomatic untested carriers, the wearing of masks or fabric equivalents by the entire population in public places proves to be an essential link in the chain of barrier measures to hope for the decline of the epidemic curve, avoid overburdening the health system and optimize the fight against this serious epidemic, they assure.

Furthermore, these experts state that in Asian countries (China, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore), strict barrier measures including the wearing of anti-projection masks by the population have proven to be very effective in reducing the reproduction rate of COVID-19 or for better control of the epidemic.