There have been no new local cases in a row. Do I still need to wear a mask at work?
At present, the country has fully resumed work, production and school, and there have been no local confirmed cases in China for 12 consecutive days.
With the epidemic under control and the hot weather, many people began to wear masks.
Do you wear masks in the workplace?
What kind of job must wear a mask?
When can I go to work without wearing a mask?
In response to the issues that people in the workplace are currently concerned about, a reporter from Workers' Daily interviewed Sun Chengye, the deputy director of the Occupational Health Institute of the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Sun Chengye has been engaged in poisoning control, emergency response, etiology research and occupational disease prevention and other fields for many years. He is a member of the Health Emergency Expert Advisory Committee of the Health Commission, a doctor of medicine, a doctoral tutor, and presided over the 2003 SARS epidemic prevention and control Participate in the discussion of the first edition of the standard for medical protective masks for the formulation of the plan.
Masks are long-term prevention and control measures and are as important as vaccines
"The last local case in Xinjiang has been more than a week in the past. We have seen all imported cases from abroad. The prevention and control of the new crown epidemic has become normal. Masks are long-term prevention and control measures. Masks must be worn." Sun Chengye analyzed to reporters from two aspects. The reason: “The first time the new coronavirus entered people’s vision was Wuhan. Afterwards, clusters of cases occurred in Beijing, Xinjiang, Dalian and other places. However, the source of the virus is still unclear, and there is no link between various regions, so it cannot be said at present. There are new local cases. In addition, the epidemic in many countries in the world is still in the stage of major outbreaks, and overseas cases continue to be imported, and there is a risk of local spread. At present, people are not fully aware of the new coronavirus, there is no vaccine, no effective drugs, prevention and control are normal Wearing masks and maintaining social distancing are the most important measures."
"Now our country is under greater pressure on prevention and control than foreign countries, because our country has zero disease, and more stringent prevention and control measures can ensure long-term maintenance of this state. Masks are one of the most important prevention and control measures. We hope that vaccine development can be successful, but You must have a normal mindset about vaccines, and don't expect to bet everything on vaccines. There are many ways to solve the new crown epidemic." Sun Chengye said.
People in the workplace should always keep masks
Due to the SARS prevention and control experience, when the new crown pneumonia outbreak in 2020, the State Council's joint prevention and control mechanism issued guidelines for wearing masks on January 30, 2020, clearly requiring the wearing of masks.
With the development and change of the epidemic, the state has issued multiple guidelines or guidelines to advise on wearing masks on different occasions and groups of people.
At present, there are 740 million professional people in my country. Due to the different working conditions and scenes of various industries, how do employees judge whether they need to wear masks in their working environment?
Sun Chengye gave the principle of judging whether to wear a mask in the workplace, namely, two factors and four indicators. The two factors are the risk level of the city, town, community and district (high-risk area, medium-risk area and low-risk area) and The health status and whereabouts of the contacts; the four indicators are the gathering of people and social distance; the stay time in the public area; the ventilation of the activity place; the degree of epidemic prevention and control standards in the area/activity place (residence/hotel/office building, etc.).
For example, Sun Chengye, if an office building has a fresh air ventilation system, and colleagues know the basics, they don’t need to wear a mask.
Whether to wear a mask or not requires different scenarios. He emphasized that people in the workplace should always carry a mask. The following scenarios must be worn, such as elevator activities, company front desk staff, and contact with visitors.
Masks are the last line of defense. In densely populated factories and workshops, people must be separated first. If there are no outsiders in the workplace, they should be well ventilated. It is recommended not to wear masks.
The labor intensity is high, and the resistance generated by the mask will affect the oxygen supply, which will bring health risks. It is not recommended to wear a mask. The focus is to improve the ventilation of the working environment and reduce the density of personnel.
Construction workers working outdoors do not need to wear masks at work, but they need to wear masks in crowded places such as dining halls.
Service workers need to wear masks, such as train attendants, flight attendants, service workers (catering services, chefs, supermarkets, etc.) attendants, kindergarten teachers, doctors, and nursing home service workers.
Wear masks for cold symptoms or other upper respiratory tract infectious diseases, and all people who go to the hospital to wear masks.
Sun Chengye reminded that the elderly should minimize to risky environments, reduce the time to wear masks, choose low-resistance masks, and remove them as soon as possible if they are unfit for wearing masks; children under 3 years old should not wear masks, if they must wear masks Parents should assist in wearing them and pay attention to their wearing conditions at all times. If they feel uncomfortable, they should be adjusted or stopped in time; patients with severe cardiopulmonary and systemic diseases should reduce going out and use respiratory protective equipment under the guidance of doctors.
The normalization of the epidemic should reconsider the parameters of masks
Masks are an indispensable daily necessities for everyone.
Wearing a mask for a long time may cause uncomfortable feelings such as suffocation. Some mask straps will oppress the ear pain. Wearing a mask for a long time may cause problems such as acne.
"Some masks are indeed uncomfortable to wear now. There are two reasons for the discomfort." Sun Chengye believes that it is necessary to re-evaluate health and safety protection and effective blocking of pathogens to construct a new parameter system of mask parameters.
The current mask standard is based on particulate protection plus infectious disease protection indicators. The disposable medical mask standard and the medical surgical mask standard are not set for the prevention and control of infectious diseases, especially the provisions of these standards are not for ordinary public.
"So we should reconsider the research on mask parameters and standards for the new crown epidemic. At the same time, manufacturers can consider the fashion and comfort of masks, and hope that all parties will work hard to make people wear masks more comfortably and safely."
On August 1, the World Health Organization stated that the global risk of the new crown pneumonia epidemic is still very high. The epidemic is expected to last for a long time and long-term response measures are needed.
As long as the virus is still spreading and we have not gained immunity, achieving and maintaining the "new normal" around the world will remain a serious challenge.
Dr. Kasai Ken, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific, pointed out that under the "new normal", we must continue to improve, learn and adjust our response measures.
Because in the foreseeable future, COVID-19 is likely to coexist with us for a long time.
The new crown epidemic is changing people's life and production methods. Sun Chengye proposed that society should vigorously promote breathing etiquette, the core of which is to prevent one's own behavior from harming others, avoid and minimize the spread of respiratory infectious diseases, coughing, sneezing, and loudly in public Speaking is uncivilized behavior. If the patient has these behaviors, the virus is likely to be discharged. Wearing a mask is an important part of breathing etiquette. Wearing a mask when sick or coughing protects yourself and others, and is a manifestation of civilization.
In the daily use of masks, Sun Chengye suggested that the general public can wear masks for a limited number of times, and the cumulative wearing time should not exceed 8 hours.
Medical protective masks, particle protective masks, medical surgical masks and disposable medical masks are not recommended to be cleaned, and it is not recommended to use disinfectants, heating and other methods for disinfection.
Ji Wei