Amid the increase in number of daily COVID-19 cases, the Ministry of Public Health(MoPH) has reminded public that wearing a face mask in public helps prevent the spread of COVID-19 — but only if worn properly, which is mandatory as part of COVID-19 precautionary measures.
In a social media campaign the Ministry has highlighted steps to follow to get the maximum protection, saying, “Face masks are a proven way to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.”
The appropriate use, storage and cleaning or disposal of masks is essential to make them as effective as possible.
The steps to follow while wearing a face mask include: washing or sanitising hands before putting on and after removing the mask; ensuring the mask fits to cover nose, mouth and chin; washing hands before and after touching the mask; not allowing the mask to hang around the neck; and changing the mask if its visibly soiled or moist.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) took action against 263 individuals for not wearing masks in public.
The officials have referred these individuals to the Public Prosecution for not wearing masks.
“In line with the cabinet decision based on Law No. 17 of 1990 regarding infectious diseases, 263 people were referred to the Public Prosecution for non-compliance with wearing masks,” the Ministry said on Twitter.
Till now 8,431 people have been referred to the Public Prosecution for not wearing masks.
“The competent authorities call on the public to adhere to the precautionary and preventive decisions in force to protect them and others from the spread of the Coronavirus in society,” MoI added.
Masks should be used as part of comprehensive measures to suppress transmission and save lives; the use of a mask alone is not sufficient to provide an adequate level of protection against COVID-19.
MoI and health authorities have been continuously warning the public to follow precautionary measures like wearing masks, following social distancing, active use of Ehteraz app and restricting the number of people in vehicles to stop the COVID-19 pandemic from spreading.
The MoPH in its daily COVID-19 update report has said that due to the measures put in place by government and support of the public in following preventive steps, Qatar succeeded in suppressing the spread of the virus since its peak in July. However, over the past month in Qatar has seen a gradual and consistent increase in the number of new daily infections. MOPH reported yesterday 385 new confirmed cases of coronavirus during the last 24 hours, of which 363 were from community cases and 22 from travellers returning from abroad.