Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 24) — The World Health Organization’s representative in the Philippines says homemade face masks and other personal protective gear may be acceptable as a “stopgap measure” but they don’t assure 100 percent defense against the coronavirus.
Because of a shortage of masks, both here and globally, people are now turning to do-it-yourself kits, says Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, WHO representative in the Philippines.
“The issue with that is they they are not 100 percent protective but they will provide some degree of protection,” Abeyasinghe said on Tuesday’s briefing by Laging Handa, the government’s COVID-19 crisis communications center.
Abeyasinghe said the WHO “does not encourage this, but this is a stop-gap measure” while the global shortage is being addressed.
He added, “In the crcumstances, any protection is better than no protection.”
Netizens have been sharing their efforts at creating face masks and other equipment at home, given that most of these have become scarce in the market.
READ: A doctor is 3D printing face masks to help meet the desperate need for protective gear
Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato de la Peña recently announced that his agency’s Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI), together with the government of Taytay town in Rizal and other private groups, will produce face masks that can be recycled for up to 50 times.
