Qatar made wearing nonmedical masks in public compulsory ahead of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) guidelines were issued amid COVID-19. One of the new recommendations issued by WHO on June 5, is that anyone living in an area where virus transmission is widespread should be encouraged to wear a nonmedical mask when they are in a situation where physical distancing is difficult, such as on public transit, in stores and at places of worship and other mass gatherings.

But Qatar had made it compulsory for the public to a wear non-medical masks in certain scenarios from May 17, ahead of WHO’s guidance. “Facts about COVID-19 virus transmission are adding every day. According to the current evidence, COVID-19 virus is primarily transmitted via respiratory droplets and contact routes,” Ghada Hudaib, Infection Prevention and Control Specialist at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), told The Peninsula.

“Transmission of the virus from Asymptomatic individuals in the community is one of the challenges for increasing COVID-19 cases , although they have less viral load but many measures have taken place in Qatar to prevent and control this infection such as Ehteraz application, mandatory mask wearing and keeping social distance,” she said. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and HMC in Qatar have followed the WHO recommendations and international guidelines for personal protective equipment’s efficient usage, taking into consideration the global shortage and finding proper solutions.

“Continuous wearing of surgical/medical mask for all healthcare workers during the whole shift along with other IPC measures like social distance and hand hygiene has been implemented in Qatar since few months back,” said Hudaib. “Adding to that MoPH in Qatar has mandated wearing non-medical mask for public intended for source control not for prevention as long as it meets evidence based standards of filtration and breathability alongside with compliance of other infection control measures of course.

And to maintain that many educational instructions and recommendations has been issued on media and social networks emphasizing on the importance of strict compliance with wearing the mask properly, avoiding touching the front of the mask, changing of the mask if wet or soiled, either discard it or place it in sealable bag until it can be washed if its reusable, and perform hand hygiene immediately afterwards,” she said.

Until the recommendations were released on June 5, the WHO had not provided any guidance for or against the use of non-medical masks, saying there was not enough scientific evidence to determine if they could be helpful. In addition to the new guidelines for those not showing symptoms and unable to practice physical distancing, the WHO has updated its advice for medical professionals and some of those most at risk of developing severe complications should they contract COVID-19.

Medical masks have long been recommended for any health-care workers treating confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients. Now, the WHO says anyone working in a clinical setting in an area where virus transmission is widespread should wear a mask, even if they are dealing with patients who are not believed to have the virus.