The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has recommended the wearing of masks for everyone in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In a tweet on Saturday evening, MoHAP said this comes after studies recently “confirmed the possibility of infecting a percentage of people without any symptoms on them”.
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Wearing of masks is based on international recommendations, MoHAP tweeted.
Previously, the World Health Organization (WHO) has only recommended the wearing of masks for those who are sick, caring the sick, and for those working in the hospitals.
In a recent study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it said that a significant portion of individuals with COVID-19 lack symptoms and that even those who eventually develop symptoms can transmit the virus to others before showing symptoms.
“This means that the virus can spread between people interacting in close proximity – for example, speaking, coughing, or sneezing – even if those people are not exhibiting symptoms,” CDC said.
CDC also recommends wearing of face masks or cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain like in grocery stores and pharmacy, especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.
