Chin music: 50% skip mask, only 14% who wear get it right, says govt

NEW DELHI: Around 50% of people still do not wear a mask, whereas only 14% of those who wear actually cover their nose, mouth, chin and with a clip on the nose, the health ministry said on Thursday citing a study.
The study also showed that 64% of those who wear a mask cover mouth but not nose, while 20% wore mask on chin and 2% on neck.
Wearing a mask coupled with physical distancing can considerably lower the risk of transmission of Covid-19, the government said underlining the importance of masks.

An infected person not following any social distancing measure can spread the infection to as many as 406 people in 30 days, it said.
“Even a single case had the potential of triggering further spread of infection if necessary precautions were not taken,” Lav Agarwal, joint secretary in the health ministry, said urging people to follow social distancing guidelines diligently.

The warning comes even as Covid-19 cases are showing a marginally declining trend and have been below three lakh per day for last four days.
Officials and health experts maintain that wearing of mask and physical distancing need to continue even by those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as the virus is constantly mutating and there is still uncertainty about how much vaccines can protect against the emerging variants.

Moreover, masks can also protect against any micro-droplets containing the virus in the atmosphere, officials added .
Officials and health experts maintain that wearing of mask and physical distancing need to continue even by those who are fully vaccinated as the virus is constantly mutating.