Ministry, Scientific Adviser Differ On Mask Use

Health Ministry says it is ‘studying the recommendations’ of the office of the PSA for widespread use of masks

- Jacob Koshy

India’s highest science advisory body, the office of the Principal (PSA), and the Union Health Ministry appear out of sync on whether masks should be widely used by people.

The Ministry’s standing recommendation is that not everybody should be wearing masks. Among those who are not healthcare workers, only those who had a cough or exhibited signs of a flu or a respiratory illness need to be wearing them as did those caring for COVID-19 patients. The reason this isn’t recommended for the public at large — though now almost anyone on the street can be seen to be wearing them — is that it will lead to a shortage and unavailability for doctors, nurses and other hospital staff.

On Tuesday, however, the office of the PSA through the Press Information Bureau recommended the widespread use of masks. It endorsed, above all, home-made masks that could easily be made and were reusable with washing and sanitising.