Face coverings 'are not magic shields,' says Dr Holohan
People over the age of 13 are being encouraged to wear face coverings in public, but they are not mandatory.
They will form part of first phase of the Roadmap for the Reopening of Society and Business on Monday.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said at today's government announcement on the easing of Covid-19 restrictions that it will not be a legal requirement for people to wear a face covering.
“We will be asking to wear them in busy enclosed spaces like a shop but it is not going to be a legal requirement. The reason for that is that all the science around it indicates it may be beneficial, it is not a substitute for washing your hands properly and social distancing,” he said.
He said videos will be made available so that people can learn to make them at home and how to wear them.
As part of the gradual easing of restrictions in Phase 1, members of the public are being advised to use a face covering as an additional hygiene measure, when using busy public transport or when in enclosed indoor public areas such as retail outlets. https://t.co/nL3opCT5Ye pic.twitter.com/dbghKtA01b
— MerrionStreet.ie (@merrionstreet) May 15, 2020
The Health Minister Simon Harris says anyone not wearing a mask should not be criticised or judged and under-13s will not be asked to wear them.
Chief medical officer Tony Holohan said face coverings “are not magic shields”.
He said: "We are concerned, if the message gets out about the value of face coverings and is interpreted in a way by people that meant that they think 'maybe we don't need to worry about washing our hands as much' or 'if we wear a face covering we can disregard the requirements around social distancing'. That is not the case."
“Hand washing has to be maintained – we don’t want the message to get out that people do not have to wash their hands or social distance.”
Dr Holohan said the face coverings are a supplement to other Covid-19 measures.
“The evidence is not very strong in relation to the value of face coverings and we have evidence that with this disease, hand transmission is key.
“Face coverings are an additional hygiene measure. It is not a magic bullet for this disease and that has to be understood.”
