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WHO rep reminds public of importance of personal hygiene amid coronavirus outbreak

Feb 06, 2020

Face masks will not guarantee that you wont get infected with the Wuhan coronavirus.

WHO Representative to Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore, Dr Ying-Ru Lo told Bernama TV, practicing good personal hygiene should be the top priority instead: 

"Wearing a face mask gives a false sense of security. It's not guaranteed to stop infections, so it should always be combined with other prevention measures like hand washing, using alcoholic rubs and avoiding close contact. If the mask is contaminated, you touch your mask, and you touch your face, it's over."

This comes amid a spike in demand for face masks, since the spread of the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, Dr Lo also gave credit to the Health Ministry for its handling of the outbreak. 

She praised the ministry for its case investigation, and being transparent with the sharing of latest developments.