COVID-19: Should we be concerned about non-compliance with masks manipulation rules?

in Santé & Corps humainCrédits : Eneas De Troya / Wikipedia

PAYOHAN residence, scientific editor

Respect to the letter of the rules formulated by the experts of the COVVI-19 at the start of the pandemic belongs to the ancient history.With a fifth wave of contamination in Europe and the appearance of the Omicron variant, should we fear the generosity of many people as to the manipulation of their masks?

Not so dangerous freedoms?

Practically two years after the appearance of the SARS-COV-2 coronavirus, it is not uncommon to cross people who have relegated the initial recommendations to the second plan about the wearing of the surgical mask.There are many not hesitating to slide their mask around their arms or tidy up the latter in a pocket or a bag while waiting to enter a place.Others clean their used masks with the laundry of the week.And when the mask is indeed worn, it is quite often under the nose.

So should we worry about these freedoms taken with the mask?From the spring of 2020, the port of the mask was accompanied by strict precautions as to its manipulation.Indeed, the experts had indicated that the transmission was made by the hands and the surfaces.Wash your hands before each manipulation was then very important.In reality, air transmission is much more effective, making this precaution less useful.

Mask washing is quite possible

According to Denis Corpet, professor of hygiene and nutrition at the University of Toulouse and member of the scientific collective Adios Corona, the filtration properties of the mask are reduced in the event of humidity.Also, changing it after several hours of use is required, especially if we speak, coughs, sneezes or transpires.On the other hand, it is not necessarily necessary to throw it away.For the expert, it is possible to dry the mask, for example in a paper envelope which would allow sufficient decontamination.

As for machine wash, nothing prevents washing their masks with other clothes.It is also a form of recycling, when masks are a real scourge for the environment.For Philippe Cinquin, scientific coordinator of the clinical investigation center of the Grenoble CHU, it is quite possible to wash your masks in 40 ° C for half an hour before letting them dry in the open air.In the end, this would cause a loss of only 10 % of the mask filtration capacities.

Between recommendations and uncertainties

Nevertheless, some recommendations for wearing the mask still remain very relevant, the interest being above all to greatly reduce the projection of potentially infected aerosols.For example, you must avoid crossing the elastics by wearing your mask.Otherwise, he will tend to yawn on the sides.You also have to adjust the nasal bar to reduce the risk of leakage.Obviously, carrying your mask under the nose has always been and is still an attitude to banish.

Finally, in terms of the conservation of the mask between two uses, no method is unanimous, whether it be the port around the arm or the storage in a pocket or a bag.In reality, the main thing is to avoid deteriorating the mask, or even tearing it away.Certain uncertainties persist, however, and it is no coincidence, studies in real situations are rather rare.