The use of face masks has become a new normal to many Malawians. Furthermore, new safety measures to control a further spread of the COVID-19 pandemic have made all kinds of masks readily available to almost everyone in the country. However, there are fears that some people are failing to dispose of their used masks properly.
Walking across on Blantyre residential area, one would notice the availability of surgical masks wasted in rivers and in open trash bins.
According to Blantyre District Health Office (DHO), this development puts the fight against COVID-19 at stake because chances are high that people may reuse or resell these used masks that are being thrown out carelessly.
Crissy Banda, Health Promotion Officer at Blantyre DHO is very concerned with the situation. In an interview, she emphasized the need for the people in the city to follow all sanitary guidelines set by the Blantyre health office and the city council.
“It is very sad noticing that some people are not following required measures in disposing of their used masks, as Blantyre DHO we have been advising people in the city to refrain from all practices that can put other people’s lives in danger including poor waste disposal.
From time to time, we have been advising people to get their surgical masks from authorized retailers than from random street vendors. Chances are high that people may be reselling masks collected from trash bins and river streams,” she said.
Recently, people in the city of Blantyre raised concerns through social media over the development.
According to Blantyre City Council (BCA), proper measures are being taken to ensure that the street is clean and safe.
In an interview, Joshua Malango, Public Relations Officer for BCA stressed that the council is working tirelessly in educating people in the area on the same.
Among many things, the council is using a mobile public address system and posters to educate people on how they can use and dispose of their surgical masks efficiently.
The use of cloth masks has been a trend in Malawi, however, many people prefer using surgical masks because they are convenient, cheap and reliable in terms of protection. However, health experts believe that disposing of used masks incorrectly could risk the spreading of the infection they’re designed to protect against.
