Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize has recommended the widespread use of masks in addition to other measures such as hand-washing and social distancing to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

“To ensure than N95 masks and surgical are secured for workers who really need them, we would like to recommend that the cloth face mask should be used by the general population,” he said in a statement on Friday (10 April).

“We are satisfied that there is sufficient scientific evidence to show that the cloth face mask significantly reduces the amount of virus that can be emitted.”

Mkhize said it was important to observe basic rules when using cloth face masks to ensure that they are safe to use. This includes:

The face mask must cover the nose and mouth completely;

Face-masks should not be lowered when speaking, coughing or sneezing;

Face-masks should never be touched – fidgeting with the mask repeatedly is strongly discouraged as it is important to avoid touching the face with hands. The inner side of the mask should not be touched by hands;

Wash hands before and after donning or removing the face-mask;

Wash cloth face-masks with warm soapy water and iron when dry. Ironing assists with decontamination;

Change your cloth face mask if it is wet or visibly soiled;

Each person will need to have at least 2 face-masks so that one face-mask is available when the other is being washed.

Read: South Africa’s proposed Covid-19 disaster management tax relief