Wearing masks outdoors makes ‘no sense’ any more

It may be time for South Africans to ditch wearing masks outdoors, where the possibility of contracting Covid-19 is relatively low compared with indoor spaces.

So say health experts who participated in a webinar titled “Covid-19: What’s Next?”,  hosted by the University of KZN’s health sciences department this week.

Facilitated by deputy vice-chancellor of research and innovation Prof Mosa Moshabela, the webinar included the input of Dr Richard Lessels, an infectious diseases specialist at the KZN Research and Innovation Sequencing Platform (Krisp) and ministerial advisory committee member on vaccines, and Dr Nokukhanya Msomi, a clinical virologist who heads the UKZN’s virology department and the National Health Laboratory Service — KZN.

“A lot of people don’t want to wear masks. They go into crowded spaces without masks. People want normality,” said Moshabela.

“How do we communicate the nuance of the message of continuing to follow precautions in an environment where we’ve got low-level transmissions ... in an environment where, policy-wise, people have seemed to have given up?”

Lessels said he believed it now made no sense that people still wore masks outdoors.

“I think we can rationalise some of these things to focus on the highest risk places or exposures where we would still encourage people to wear masks. We can get rid of some places where it is really not necessary and not likely to contribute at all to slowing transmission.

“This kind of rationalising of things would help to bring it more in line with where we are now, as opposed to where we were one or two years ago,” said Lessels.

Msomi agreed with Lessels on the issue of masks.

If we are wearing masks everywhere all the time, the reality of fatigue filters in

—  Dr Nokukhanya Msomi, clinical virologist

“Obviously these must be precautions that are sustainable. If we are wearing masks everywhere all the time, the reality of fatigue filters in,” said Msomi.

In some countries such as the UK, masks are no longer legally required in most public spaces. However, according to BBC.com, they remain a requirement in hospitals, doctors’ rooms and care homes. The UK government has recommended that people still wear masks in enclosed spaces.

Lessels said while the virus was still prevalent, “what we have realised with this last wave is that we are in a different phase of the pandemic.

“We have realised that the priority is pretty much the protection of people who are of highest risk of getting very sick and of dying. That’s where the focus must be.”

Msomi warned that SA’s low levels of transmission meant “the likelihood of a resurgence occurring is always there.

“Now we know that no one level of protection is sufficient. I would definitely encourage that we use every armour in our arsenal to fight until we are in the clear.”