Fuchsia Dragon | [email protected]
Canada鈥檚 chief public health officer now recommends the use of face masks in public places, and Jasper doctors are encouraging the community to follow.
Dr. Theresa Tam, chief public health officer, made the announcement last Wednesday, saying if you can鈥檛 predict whether you can maintain a two-metre distance from others, then it鈥檚 recommended that you wear a non-medical mask or facial covering.
Alberta Health recommendations also state that when physical distancing cannot be maintained, you should consider wearing a non-medical mask or homemade face covering.
Studies show COVID-19 is likely spread by respiratory droplets ejected when speaking, coughing or sneezing - and patients are most infectious during the initial days of infection, when symptoms are mildest or not present.
Tam said Wednesday: 鈥淔rom our perspective, it is an added layer of protection. It is for you to protect others. So if two people wear masks, I鈥檓 protecting you and you鈥檙e protecting me.鈥�
Forty to 50 per cent of cases are from people who are asymptomatic - people who don鈥檛 know they have it - and studies show mask wearing could reduce asymptomatic spread.
Dr Declan Unsworth, a physician in Jasper, said: 鈥淭here is some protection from wearing a mask but it鈥檚 difficult to quantify. It鈥檚 essentially another layer of protection and if you鈥檙e going to be within two metres of people then it makes sense.鈥�
Unsworth said a way to visualize it is to think of your breath clouds on a cold day. Those are clouds of moisture made up of the types of droplets that could contain virus and could contaminate other people or surfaces.
And wearing a mask could help reduce that spread.
Unsworth said one issue with wearing masks is that it is not seen as normal in our society.
But with servers, bartenders, retail workers and barbers now required to wear masks at times as part of new public health guidelines, that could change.
鈥淢asks are seen as a sign of sickness, but really they should be seen as a sign of politeness and respect,鈥� he said.
Unsworth and fellow Jasper doctors Lisa Wilson, Melissa Lacoursiere, Derek Lacoursiere and Braam Swanepoel submitted a report to mayor and council this week asking them to consider strongly encouraging or mandating masking at the municipal level - and encouraging visitors and the local community to use masks when they can't maintain a two metre distance from each other.
鈥淥ur case count has been quite low but ideally we want to keep it that way,鈥� said Unsworth.
鈥淢asking reduces the chance of a large outbreak, and has the benefit to businesses that it preserves employees' fitness to work.鈥�
Alberta Health says the best thing you can do to prevent spreading COVID-19 is to wash your hands frequently with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds. If none is available, use hand sanitizer with a minimum of 60 per cent alcohol base.
Wearing a homemade non-medical mask/facial covering in the community is recommended for periods of time when it is not possible to consistently maintain a two-metre physical distance from others, particularly in crowded public settings, like stores, shopping areas and public transportation.
See guidelines for wearing a non-medical mask at .
