Double-masking: Malaysians supportive of idea to combat Covid-19

PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry's recommendation to wear two masks instead of one has been met with support from Malaysians online, with some calling for it to be a normal practice.

One such person is Twitter user @Draesthethics1, who said that such move needs to be encouraged worldwide with those who are vaccinated and unvaccinated.

"It must become a standard for now and until we knock this pandemic back into the Stone Age," he said in a tweet on Monday (May 24).

Similarly @maling345678 said that he saw Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah wearing two masks and a face shield on television.

"I started following that, thank you for setting up a good example," he said.

Additionally, @orrlang took to Twitter to thank the Health director-general for the positive suggestion.

"Good idea, Dr. After one year plus, 50% of the population still don't know how to wear a mask the right way. Fine them RM1,000 or jail them for one month if they don't cover their nose and mouth," he said.

@orrlang added that the public has no excuse to not cover up as medical frontliners can wear a complete set of personal protective equipment (PPE) for many hours every day.

On Facebook, user Veatha kumar said the wearing of double face masks was only encouraged, but not mandatory.

"Just one good quality mask & wear it properly is still sufficient I guess.

Do what suits you," she said.

Additionally, Julia Rose said that it would be hard for her to wear two masks as she cannot breathe properly with one mask.

"With the Malaysian weather, how is that possible," she asked.

Similarly, @ itsmesuhayl said on Facebook that although it is not a bad idea, it will be hard for many to breathe.

"Some people really can't breathe well with two masks, including me," he said.

Meanwhile, Adam Sof said it will be "more expensive but safer."

On Sunday (May 22) the Health Ministry (MOH) shared effective ways of wearing double face-masks, citing the best practices of America’s Centre for Disease Control (CDC).

Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah had on Saturday (May 22) said the wearing of double face masks was encouraged, although it wasn’t mandatory.

He shared the CDC’s research on the subject, which said that double-masking would substantially reduce exposure to Covid-19.

The CDC recommended double-masking by using a surgical mask on the inside and a cloth mask on the outside.

According to the CDC, this method provides up to 85.4% of protection compared to 56.1% when wearing a single surgical mask.

A cloth mask alone blocks 51.4% of protection, while a knot and tucked surgical mask offers 77% protection.