Photo: GovernmentZA / Twitter
Photo: GovernmentZA / Twitter
The government are ramping up their directives to get as many people as possible wearing face masks. Just don’t ask Cyril Ramaphosa for a demonstration on how to wear one.
The mask refused to comply with level 4 #Ramaphosa #LockdownSA #level4 pic.twitter.com/vLxYjtlKHJ
— Bravo mfokaMasuku (@bravophugeni) April 23, 2020
A compulsory requirement
We jest, of course. But the matter at hand is serious. From the start of next month, people leaving their homes have been asked to wear a face mask. As of next Friday, certain restrictions will be lifted, giving South Africans more reasons to leave the home. The president has asked us to all play by the rules, though:
“As we begin the easing of lockdown restrictions from the beginning of May, we are calling on all South Africans to wear a face mask whenever you leave home. Our clothing and textile industry – including many small businesses – are gearing up to produce these masks on a mass scale.”
“The extraordinary measures that we have put in place to combat this global health crisis have been matched by the contributions of many South Africans. If we all adhere to instructions and follow public health guidelines, we will keep the disease under control and will not need to reinstate the most drastic restrictions.”
Cyril Ramaphosa
Everything you need to know about face masks in SA:
Where can I buy face masks in South Africa?
Clicks and Dischem market the masks, but be aware: The latter have been stung for marking-up the prices of their face masks during the lockdown. A simple search online will bring up a number of e-retailers who are selling the items over the internet, too.
A box of 50 basic masks will usually be on sale for something in the region of R40 – R100. Clicks also have a box of two surgical masks on sale for R10.99. However, government have advised citizens to instead buy cloth masks, or ones made out of fabric, to save more PPE for our medical professionals. Sadly, costs may be higher than usual due to a disparity in supply and demand.
Cloth face masks for sale – how much do they cost?
Cloth face masks are the way to go for us ordinary citizens. There are some fabric items available for purchase on Takealot’s website, starting from R100 and rising upwards. Ballo, Mzansi Masks, and even Sexy Socks will deliver orders of facemasks, with some items costing less than R100.
Of course, with the wearing of face masks being declared a mandatory requirement, it pretty much stinks that anyone has to buy them just to avoid a killer disease. The DA submitted proposals to the government on Thursday, asking for the provision of 120 million free face masks, prescribing three free masks each to 40 million citizens. A decision is yet to be reached on this matter.
What are the benefits of wearing them?
The government have published their reasoning online. Quite simply, wearing a face mask prevents citizens from coughing germs into the air, thereby limiting the amount of disease that’s communicated through droplets. Public commuters, taxi users and people working on open spaces are the most “in need” of this gear:
“The main benefit of everyone wearing a face-mask is to reduce the number of germs being coughed up by those with the infection thereby reducing its spread through droplets. Since some persons with the disease may not have symptoms or may not know they are infected, everyone should wear a face mask in public.”
“Commuters travelling in taxis and other forms of public transport, as well as people spending time in spaces where physical distancing is difficult to practice, are particularly encouraged to wear cloth face masks.”
SA government advice
