Meet The Doctor Who Powered India's Decision To Make Face Masks Compulsory
Dr Shailja Vaidya Gupta who has pushed for wearing face-masks even if the lockdown eases out. Dr Gupta was the first person to recommend the use of DIY masks for a country where access to PPE is a huge problem.
Face masks are now going to be an indispensable part of our everyday attire and it¡¯s going to be so for a while. Stepping out without one is not an option anymore even if the lockdown scenario eases in some cities.
The wearing of face masks was made mandatory in Delhi, Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh last month despite the World Health Organisation still advising that such measures are not necessary to stem the coronavirus pandemic. Dr Shailja Vaidya Gupta pushed the government of India to make DIY face masks compulsory,
YouTube/U.S. Embassy India
Dr Shailja Vaidya Gupta, senior adviser, office of the principal scientific adviser to the government, was the first one to put forth the point of accessibility when it comes to masks. She touched upon the aspect of Indians living in densely populated regions, where social distancing is a far-fetched reality.
Speaking to News 18, Dr Gupta said, "We could be spreading the virus by talking. The simple moisture from your mouth could land on someone else's face and help in spreading the virus. But if everyone wore a mask, that could control it from spreading," she said.
"There was the debate that it could, and could not help. Then the World Health Organization issued an advisory and many scientific papers had proved that Covid-19 spread through aerosols. This lead to us implementing masks," she told News 18.
Here¡¯s a ready-made guide on how to make face masks at home without a sewing machine. The step-by-step guide is based on government guideline. Click this link.
¡°This (manual) is primarily meant for the people who want to wear masks but do not have access to it. They can make these washable and reusable masks home¡± Dr Gupta told TOI.
Despite the WHO¡¯s stance of face-masks not being an absolutely necessary and stop against the virus, Dr Gupta says that it will and should be an integral part of daily life in India, given the number of densely populated regions across the country.
According to Gupta, the specifics of N95 masks and the rest are of no use, as access is an issue. The best solution was to teach people to masks out of available material, even if it¡¯s an old T-shirt and coupling it with the proper method of wearing it and sterilising it with a hot iron.
"Until there is a vaccine to the virus, we will have to take individual safety in our own hands. The virus is not going to go away post-lock-down, and we may have to adapt ourselves around it," Dr Gupta emphasised.
That¡¯s a reality for people across the world, the post-COVID-19 world will be devoid of the handshake, fist bumps, hugs and of course face-masks are going to be a compulsory part of your everyday outfit. And it's important to embrace it for as long as it takes.
