The Health Ministry warned against “inappropriate use of N95 masks, especially those that contain respiratory valves” by the citizens. Rajiv Garg, the director-general of health services wrote a letter to all states and union territories. The letter said, “It is to bring to your knowledge that the use of valved respirator N95 masks is detrimental to the measures adopted for preventing the spread of Coronavirus as it does not prevent the virus from escaping out of the mask.”
“In view of the above, I request you to instruct all concerned to follow the use of face/mouth cover and prevent inappropriate use of N95 masks,” he added.
Wearing a face mask in public places has been mandated in India. Garg urged people to use homemade face masks.
Earlier, the central government had issued an advisory on how to make face masks at home. Any cotton cloth can be used as a face mask. The cloth needs to be washed in boiling water at least five times. Before using it, it needs to be completely dried off. It is important to ensure the mask covers all the parts of the face and leaves no gaps. The face masks need to be cleaned and washed every single day.
Citing the high prices of face masks in the market, the Maharashtra government has made the decision to form a committee to fix its prices. The state health minister Rajesh Tope said, “The use of masks and sanitizers has increased due to the spread of coronavirus. A committee will be formed to fix their prices. Relief should be given to the common people.”
