The Kenya Bureau of Standards has warned that face masks give a false sense of protection while actually increasing the risk of exposure.
This comes as the state persist to curb the spread of coronavirus which has infected at least 189 people in the country.
On Saturday, Kebs urged manufacturers to submit their Personal Protective Equipment for testing to confirm their efficiency.
The World Health Organization earlier clarified that Covid-19 can survive in the air for hours.
As a result, the Health ministry last week issued a mandatory regulation requiring people to wear masks in public settings and places with high populations and where social distancing measures are difficult to observe.
Medical face masks are designed to cover the mouth, nose and chin to provide a barrier to minimise the direct transmission of infectious agents.
“Wearing of masks will help in blocking virus-laden droplets projected during sneezing, coughing and talking that could be both from external environment and by the wearer of the mask thus preventing transmission of the coronavirus,” Kebs managing director Bernard Njiraini said.
The government has noted that there is a limited supply of PPEs for health workers and encouraged the general public to leave the N95 masks to healthcare workers and patients.
Caution was given that reusable cloth coverings made of woven fabric may offer limited protection against the coronavirus.
“There is no data to indicate their effectiveness in filtering bacteria and virus projected forcefully during sneezing or coughing,” Njiraini said, urging the public to take additional measures such as social distancing and handwashing with soap for at least twenty seconds several times a day.
It has also been noted that there is no standard for these types of cover and that certification for re-usable cloth coverings is currently not a mandatory requirement prior to sale.
“Cloth material masks should be made of a double layer of fabric with a filter layer in the middle for greater protection. However, the general public must take heed that such cloth coverings do not guarantee protection against coronavirus,” the MD added.
Kenyans have also been advised to wash the re-usable masks with soap and water before use.
Edited by R.Wamochie
