Explainer | Wearing a face mask: how to dispose of them safely and can they be reused?
- Experts predicted the virus, when left exposed, can survive between a few hours and a few days
- Before being several times, masks should be folded several times and then wrapped
In the city state, masks have been seen haphazardly strewn on pavements and escalators, while pictures of masks in lifts and other public areas have emerged online.
Experts say the used masks lying around pose public health risks. What are these risks, how should masks be disposed of and what if one wants to reuse his mask?
What happens when a used mask is disposed of improperly?
Wong Chen Seong, a consultant at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, said that improperly discarded masks, especially those that are soiled or have a “large amount of respiratory secretions” on them, could be a potential health hazard should others come in contact with it.
“The way that the virus may be transmitted to others in this way is through contact – that is, if others inadvertently touch the soiled mask, and then their own face,” Wong said.
Leong Hoe Nam, an infectious diseases expert at Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre, said an exposed mask carries with it a “small risk” of passing a virus through the air.
“If exposed to the open, with strong winds, there is a small risk of aerosolisation,” he said.