WHO now recommending masks +specifies materials for cloth masks

[peridito]

WHO changed their guidance yesterday - Friday 5 June .

"What's new:

In areas with widespread transmission, the WHO advises medical masks for all people working in clinical areas of a health facility, not only workers dealing with patients with COVID-19. In other words, said the Director General, when doctors are 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.
In areas with community transmission, the WHO now advises that members of the general public aged 60 and older and those with underlying conditions should wear a medical mask in situations where physical distancing is not possible.

The general public should wear non-medical masks where there is widespread transmission and when physical distancing is difficult, such as on public transport, in shops or in other confined or crowded environments.

Additionally, the WHO has released new guidance on cloth masks, recommending that they consist of at least three layers of different materials: an inner layer being an absorbent material like cotton, a middle layer of non-woven materials such as polypropylene (for the filter) and an outer layer, which is a non absorbent material such as a polyester or a polyester blend."

Considering the speed in which covid rampaged through hospitals and care homes, it makes sense for staff to take precautions around the patients. The only people we know who've had Covid were already in our local hospital and caught it whilst they were in-patients.

It was the same with norovirus - whole wards had to be closed when dozens of patients caught it. And a few years ago, there was the issue of even doctors not washing their hands between patients and then the issue of long sleeves worn by doctors being discouraged which were found to harbour disease/infection easily passed between patients.

Hospitals aren't hygienic places, not always because of the diseases etc., but often because of lots of staff moving between wards (not just medical staff but cleaners, catering staff, porters, etc) just move a disease from one part to another.

Anything that makes hospitals more hygienic can only be a good thing.

Yep, if I (or a member of my family) had to go to hospital now, I'd make sure I (they) had a box of medical disposable gloves, masks and medical hand sanitizer next to the bed and make sure the staff use it.
The main cause of infections running through hospital wards is not dirty skirting boards or not poperly cleaned floors, but people breathing on people and touching people - as Hr. Semmelweiß told us ages ago.