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 In neighboring Malaysia, the government urged people to always have
masks and hand sanitizers ready, similar to advice by authorities in
Thailand and Vietnam.
Conflicting messages have sowed confusion over how to protect
against an epidemic that has claimed over 200 lives in China and
spread to over 20 countries, with some experts saying wrong handling
of masks could even increase infection risk.
"Wearing a mask only when u feel unwell? Then why do u need soldiers
when there isn't war? It's better to be safe than sorry" Facebook
user Kenny Chan Wai Kong posted in Singapore, where authorities have
announced plans to give four masks to every household as retailers'
stocks run dry across the island.
In parts of Asia, wearing face masks is common when people are sick
or to counter urban pollution.
Official guidance from the World Health Organisation and the Centre
for Disease Control and Prevention makes no mention of wearing a
face mask as a preventative measure against the virus - but their
websites do not specifically advise against them.
Australia and Taiwan have said healthy people don't need masks, but
Australia has released 1 million masks from the national medical
stockpile, and masks are widely worn in Taiwan's capital Taipei
where the government has imposed purchase limits and an export ban
on masks.
The Taiwan Railway Administration said on Friday that if the virus
continues to spread it will refuse to carry passengers not wearing
masks.
MASKS MUST BE FITTED CORRECTLY
Coronavirus can be transmitted from person to person, although it is
not clear how easily. Most cases have been in people who have been
in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the center of the outbreak, family
members of those infected, or medical workers.
Transmission is likely through contact with an infected person via
particles in the air from coughing or sneezing, or by someone
touching an infected person or object with the virus on it and then
touching their mouth, nose or eyes.
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"Situations that require a mask are when you are in a crowd...or if
you are caring for a sick person. If it makes you feel better, wear
a surgical mask," Angela Rasmussen, virologist at the Center for
Infection & Immunity at Columbia University said on the Reuters
Global Markets Forum.
Other experts have said disposable surgical masks may not fit the
face tightly enough to prevent infection, while some have pointed
out that wrong handling of masks such as touching the front could
increase the likelihood of infection spread.
In Hong Kong, a lawmaker who chairs the city's government health
services panel was slammed over a short video she posted showing
people how to steam and re-use disposable face masks.
More unusual advice has seen India's government suggest a
traditional concoction that includes ginger and holy basil as virus
protection, while a Myanmar minister was rebuked for sharing a
Facebook post that advised people to eat more onions.
Some overseas Chinese have been buying masks to send to friends and
relatives in China, where some stocks have been running out. Chinese
citizens living in Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia sent 150,000 masks
back to their home province of Gansu on Thursday, China's Xinhua
news agency reported.
In China, where nearly 10,000 cases have been reported so far,
Zunyou Wu, chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Center for Disease
Control and Prevention, told state broadcaster that people need to
wear masks when taking public transport.
(Reporting by John Geddie, Aradhana Aravindan and Keith Zhai in
Singapore, Joseph Sipalan in Kuala Lumpur, Khahn Vu in Hanoi,
Jiraporn Kuhakan and Panu Wongcha-um in Bangkok, Ben Blanchard in
Taipei, Anne Marie Roantree in Hong Kong, Euan Roche in Mumbai, Thu
Thu Aung in Yangon and Jonathan Barrett in Sydney; Writing by John
Geddie; Editing by Michael Perry)
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