Even global medical experts have habit of touching faces, making mask-wearing necessary: Taiwan CECC

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/05/10
By: Ching-Tse Cheng, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As Taiwan's pandemic situation has become more stable, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Saturday (May 9) that mask-wearing has played a key factor in the island nation's success in containing the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Following Health Minister and CECC head Chen Shih-chung's (陳時中) announcement that there were no new COVID-19 patients on Saturday, CECC Advisory Specialist Panel Convener Chang Shan-chwen (張上淳) urged the Taiwanese public to continue wearing face masks on public transportation and in crowded places. He said Taiwan has demonstrated its extraordinary ability to respond to the global health crisis and could hopefully extend its 27-day streak of having no local transmissions if the public remained respectful of government policies.

Chang compared the current situation to the H1N1 outbreak in 2009 and said the two shared many similarities. He said the government adopted similar strategies for both outbreaks, shifting its goal from containment to disaster mitigation once the patients reached a certain number.

To further illustrate his point on the importance of mask-wearing, Chang shared a photo taken at the World Health Assembly (WHA) in 2009 and pointed out that several international health experts placed their hands on their faces during the meeting. He stressed that many people had the habit of touching their noses and mouths, which are the main entryways for viruses to enter the body.    [FULL  STORY]