Is the mask a must?

While most western countries’ authorities didn’t initially recommend the practice for the general population, multiple governments from the Czech Republic to the U.S. now oblige or recommend everyone to cover their mouth and nose.

POLITICO reports that differing official guidance across the EU has left citizens confused, contributing to a general impression that basic coordination in the bloc was missing at the height of a major health crisis. The report adds that countries such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and Bulgaria, have either imposed or recommended covering up. In contrast, leaders in countries such as Germany, France and Belgium have been cautious, sticking to narrower guidelines.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has recently signaled that the organization’s stance may change, the report adds.

The shift in advice and the caveats that have come with it not only confused people, it also fueled suspicions that public health guidelines were adopted out of pragmatic reasons rather than scientific rationale.

Some suspect a global shortage of the protective equipment has driven the WHO’s advice against wearing them in the community — to leave them for health care workers. The organization’s lead for the Health Emergencies Program, Michael Ryan, has rejected that claim. At the national level, depleted stocks of medical equipment also spurred controversy on the issue.

Via POLITICO