Coronavirus: Lawmaker, local factory team for reusable, antibacterial masks, though efficacy against viruses unknown
- The fabric, developed by PolyU researchers, is currently used in such household products as bedsheets
- City needs 200 million masks a month if everyone wears one, textile industry legislator says
Textile and garment industry legislator Felix Chung Kwok-pan told an RTHK radio programme he was working with a local manufacturer to make reusable face masks out of a fabric previously developed by researchers at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, which cautioned the fabric has not yet been proven to prevent viruses.
“The government has said that 30 million masks are on the way, but the problem is these masks need to be thrown out after eight hours of use. If everyone in the city needs a mask, that's 200 million a month,” the Liberal Party leader said.
“If the virus continues for months, supply will never be stable.”
Chung later clarified that the PolyU team was not involved in the plan to turn the fabric into a mask, which he said could be washed and reused between 50 and 70 times.
The antibacterial properties of the fabric, which is currently being used for home products such as bedsheets, have already received medical certification and could prevent Streptococcus pneumonia bacteria, which causes pneumonia, along with sinus, ear and yeast infections, Chung said, though he was unsure if it could effectively protect against other viruses.