The World Health Organization (WHO) is now telling people across the globe to wear face masks when out in public, a stark contrast from what they said just a little more than one week ago. The organization's Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, unveiled the change in guidance during a press conference on Friday.
"In areas with widespread transmission, WHO advises medical masks for all people working in clinical areas of a health facility, not only workers dealing with patients with COVID-19. That means, for example, that when a doctor is doing a ward round on the cardiology or palliative care units where there are no confirmed COVID-19 patients, they should still wear a medical mask," Tedros said. "Second, in areas with community transmission, we advise that people aged 60 years or over, or those with underlying conditions, should wear a medical mask in situations where physical distancing is not possible. Third, WHO has also updated its guidance on the use of masks by the general public in areas with community transmission."
"In light of evolving evidence, WHO advises that governments should encourage the general public to wear masks where there is widespread transmission and physical distancing is difficult, such as on public transport, in shops or in other confined or crowded environments," he said.
Today @WHO has updated its guidance on who should wear a mask, when it should be worn and what it should be made of based on evolving evidence: https://t.co/b3NvzCyerL #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/TvytnSRcw8
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) June 5, 2020
Tedros also stated that masks should be made up of three layers containing different types of materials. According to the WHO, people can infect themselves if their hands are contaminated and they touch their masks.
The updated guidance also contains new information on the composition of fabric masks. @WHO advises that fabric masks should consist of at least three layers of different material. We also provide guidance on how to wash and maintain a fabric mask & how to use a mask safely.
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) June 5, 2020
Masks on their own will not protect you from #COVID19 and should only ever be used as part of a comprehensive strategy that includes physical distancing and #handhygiene.
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) June 5, 2020
The WHO provided a graphic, showing people how to properly put on and take off a mask to avoid contamination.
"Our guidance also explains how to use a mask safely.
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) June 5, 2020
People can potentially infect themselves if they use contaminated hands to adjust a mask, or to repeatedly take it off and put it on, without cleaning hands in between"-@DrTedros #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/YO5eUQWdWv
Just last week the WHO was telling healthy people around the globe not to wear a mask unless they're treating someone with the coronavirus or they're coughing and sneezing.
"If you do not have any respitory symptoms such as fever, cough or runny nose, you do not need to wear a mask," Dr. April Baller, a WHO public health specialist, said at the time. "Masks should only be used by health care workers, caretakers or by people who are sick with symptoms of fever and cough."
Why should anyone believe what the WHO says, especially when it comes to the Wuhan coronavirus? They have been all over the place on this virus. Remember: back in December, Taiwan made every effort to alert the WHO to the coronavirus outbreak, as evidenced by the release of an email.
In late January, the WHO parrotted the Chinese Communist Party's talking points, particularly that the Wuhan coronavirus was not transmitted from human-to-human. It was revealed that China waited six days to alert the world to the virus that was ravaging Wuhan. Not only that but Chinese President Xi Jinping personally asked Tedros to delay publishing vital information about the Wuhan coronavirus. Specifically, Xi wanted the WHO to not tell the world that the coronavirus was transmitted from person-to-person.
If the WHO wanted to be taken seriously they would have been upfront and honest from the beginning instead of protecting China. They wouldn't do this continual flop-flopping.