THE GOVERNMENT plans to provide free reusable or washable facemasks to the public, especially to “the poorest of the poor,” amid the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. Department of Trade and Industry secretary Ramon Lopez even announced that women’s cooperatives and micro-enterprises will be tapped for the production of at least 20 million reusable masks.
The Office of the President’s Memorandum Order No. 49 issued on Sept. 16 tasked six government agencies, including the Departments of Budget and Management, Health, Social Welfare and Development and Trade and Industry, the Presidential Management Staff and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority “to coordinate and pool their resources and efforts into the production and distribution of face masks.”
Initiatives to promote the community production and use of reusable cloth masks are most welcome. These masks can be easily washed with detergent or soap and safely reused. Surely, these initiatives will help in conserving resources, reducing plastic waste and in controlling the alarming pollution caused by the disposal of throw-away masks and other disposable personal protective equipment.
Here are some of the advantages of reusable cloth masks amid the health, economic, environmental and humanitarian challenges facing the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including:
* avoiding the generation of non-biodegradable and non-recyclable used face masks littering the streets and polluting beaches and water bodies
* utilizing reusable textile as well as other locally-available indigenous materials
* providing alternative livelihood for community members, particularly tailors and seamstresses
* supporting the “buy local, go lokal” drive and other sustainability initiatives
Wearing of reusable facemasks should complement and not replace measures recommended by health experts to counter community transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. These core preventive measures include meticulous hand hygiene, good respiratory etiquette, wearing proper mask, physical distancing, and staying at home and seeking medical attention when feeling unwell.
As reusable cloth masks are not standardized unlike registered medical-grade masks used by healthcare professionals, the government must mentor community cooperatives and enterprises on the basic requirements for good reusable masks.
Also, the mandatory use of facemasks currently enforced should be accompanied by continuing public education on their proper usage, as well as strict regulation on the environmentally sound management of used disposable masks.
