South Africans polled 2nd in global study of mask wearing
Mask wearing rates in South Africa are high compared to other countries according to a poll.
MASK adoption rates around the world have changed the norms of mask wearing in many countries.
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In June, when The World Health Organization (WHO) began to advise people to wear masks in public where social distancing is not possible to help stop the spread of coronavirus, there was a dramatic increase in mask wearing globally.
How to wear a fabric mask😷 safely during #COVID19?pic.twitter.com/cxJwHblpsF
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) August 6, 2020
A recent study by Google, which included a poll of 1507 South African adults, revealed a 90 per cent rate of ownership of face masks.
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This would translate to over 34 million people in the country owning either a cloth, surgical, homemade, medical grade or fashionable face mask or a face shield.
South Africa ranked second out of the 15 countries polled, being beaten only by the United Kingdom (UK) where 97 per cent of those polled said they owned a mask.
The same study revealed that cloth face masks are the most popular, with 53 per cent of respondents saying they currently own one.
The next most popular face mask type is the blue surgical mask, which 21 per cent of those polled said they owned with homemade face masks being the solution chosen by 18 per cent of those included in the survey.
Surgical
However, while around one in five South Africans indicated they own a blue surgical mask, their ownership rate is lower than nearly all other countries included in the study.
South Africa ranked 13th on the list for ownership of medical grade masks while one in 10 South Africans report currently owning a medical grade mask like an N95.
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Age and gender
Interestingly, the report indicated that 93 per cent of women and 94 per cent of those in the 55-64 age group are more likely to wear a mask than those younger and men, 87 per cent of whom have adopted mask wearing.
The study covered 15 countries, US, Ireland, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Canada and the UK, Philippines, Hong Kong, France, Italy, Spain, New Zealand and Australia.
According to the study, all countries bar the Philippines favour either a cloth face mask or blue surgical face mask.
Cloth face masks are most prevalent in the US, Ireland, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Canada and the UK, while the blue surgical face mask is most prevalent in Singapore, Hong Kong, France, Italy, Spain, New Zealand and Australia. Meanwhile, Filipinos are most likely to own a face shield.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
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At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.
