Since the beginning of the pandemic, governments, apparently on the advice of experts, have kept updating guidelines and policies on the wearing of facemasks. President Akufo-Addo says every Ghanaian must also now wear a facemask when out and about and that his government’s guidelines on the use of facemasks by the public will soon be announced.

The World Health Organization recently reviewed its position on face masks because of new evidence on the probable usefulness of the masks but has maintained its original position that it is not necessary for the general public to wear facemasks.

Recent research published at the beginning of April has also cast doubts on the effectiveness of both surgical and cloth masks in preventing the spread of the coronavirus.

To find out whether face masks could stop the viral particles from spreading, infected participants in the research were asked to cough over petri-dishes without a mask, to do the same while wearing a disposable surgical mask and finally, while wearing a reusable mask made of cotton cloth. The participants had to cough five times into the dishes. Each time, they did so over a different petri-dish.

The research team swabbed the outer and inner surfaces of each cotton or surgical mask. They expected to find droplets containing viral particles on the inner surfaces of the masks. The question was whether any viral particles had been able to pass through the masks to their outer surfaces. Do you get the picture?

After analyzing the swabs, the researchers found contaminated particles on the outsides of both types of mask, suggesting that neither type of mask can contain the virus. Conclusion: Neither the surgical nor cotton masks can filter out the virus.

Facemasks have two purposes: To prevent infectious droplets from exiting the nose and mouth of a person wearing a masks and also prevent outside particles from getting inside the nose and mouth of the mask wearer. The data to confirm that wearing cloth masks keep particles is therefore grossly insufficient.

Wearing a cloth mask may therefore not protect you. All the same, the public in most countries are being told to wear them and you cannot ignore the advice of the experts and besides, wearing a mask somehow makes you feel safe, doesn’t it?