Expert calls for wider adoption of face masks and warns Gardai could become super spreaders
Gardaí could become so-called Covid-19 “super spreaders” if they don’t wear face masks, a leading disease control expert has said.
Professor Gerry Killeen says gardai and other workers who deal with the public should be forced to wear face masks in certain situations.
“I wince every time I see a well-meaning Garda without a mask at a checkpoint speaking in sequence to a queue of dozens, hundreds or even thousands of motorists in a day,” he said.
“Even with a minimum distancing of two metres, the cumulative risk of exposure for the poor Garda is higher than any of us would like.
“If that well-intentioned essential worker does become infected, he or she may become what is known as a “super-spreader” because of this high rate of even distant contact with others.”
The recently appointed AXA Research Chair at University College Cork (UCC) believes the wearing of face masks should be mandatory in certain situations.
“Ireland needs to make the wearing of face masks mandatory immediately but not necessarily everywhere or all the time,” he said.
“Widespread use should be encouraged. It’s ideal to always assume one may be quietly carrying and shedding the virus and behave accordingly.
“The golden rule of infectious disease dynamics is that a small minority of people, venues or events account for most transmission.”
He added: “I’d like to see masks made absolutely mandatory for anyone working in any essential service, especially anyone handing food, stacking shelves, moving goods, or working in any venue visited by members of the public.
"Given that the virus can also persist on cardboard for up to a day, we don’t usually handle or open our mail until the day after delivery, and I’d be reassured to know mask use was compulsory at An Post.”
He pointed out some Chinese studies have shown transmission occurred between people who had nothing more in common than the shopping centre they all visited.
While the HSE does not recommend the use of non-medical face masks, the Department of Health is considering them at the moment.
The National Public Health Emergency Team met on May 1 to discuss them and last Tuesday, Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan said: “We do in principle see a role in certain settings and we are doing some work at the moment to try to develop the necessary guidance.”
He said the masks - or “face coverings” - being considered for wider public use would not be “surgical grade, not healthcare masks, not the type of masks to be used by healthcare staff or people who are recommended to wear masks by a doctor for medical reasons”.
And he said there might be “some circumstances”, like public transport, where people might need to use them.
But he insisted: “Our message isn't to rush out now and start wearing face coverings. We think that they will in certain settings play a role and we will set it all out in guidance in support of whatever measures we introduce on May 18.”
