PPE or personal protective equipment has become a household term across all borders. Wearing a mask is essential and gloves are an adequate bonus. There can be different types of masks that a person can wear. It could be an N-95 onetime use mask or a 3-layered reusable mask or just a regular surgical mask.
But as we all know, India is a country that has the most amount of variation in income across the population. Not everyone can afford use-and-throw masks every day and some can’t even afford a mask! So in this Ziqitza blog post, we’ve compiled a list of all the choices for personal protective equipment that anyone can pick from according to their needs and surroundings.
The Surgical Mask
Surgical masks are simple, effective, and inexpensive. They were the standard for PPEs when the pandemic started and are still in use by the general public. Although Ziqitza Healthcare ltd would advise against that as use and throw masks are polluting the environment, we just banned straws and plastic bags so let us continue being environmentally conscious.
Moreover, surgical masks are also needed by doctors and hospital employees. Continual use of surgical masks by the general public will result in a shortage of masks for doctors as well as harm the environment. Some people also tend to reuse surgical masks which is something that they are not meant for which renders them useless and offers no protection the second time. Try to avoid surgical masks for your daily wear as they increase the pollution that has gone down in the pandemic
The Cloth Mask
Cloth masks are the standard now as more and more people are realizing that the CoronaVirus is not going away anytime soon, or at least not completely going away anytime soon.
Cloth masks are the perfect personal protective equipment for the common man as they are readily available and don’t cost much. But the advantage that cloth masks have over surgical masks and other non-permanent masks like the N-95 is that they are reusable. Cloth masks can be used for a significant amount of time by the general citizen.
Not only are cloth masks the best option for general PPE, but they also help in giving local tailors and weavers their livelihoods back. Ziqitza Healthcare recommends buying local masks or ordering online from small businesses as they are the ones that are one of the gravely affected due to this pandemic.
One thing to note is that cloth masks should be washed thoroughly after every use. Wearing unwashed cloth masks will offer you little to no protection as cloth masks need to be cleaned regularly. For convenience, you can buy two masks and use them alternatively. But what we’ve found is that washing your mask after every use is the best habit to develop if you’re using a cloth mask as a PPE.
The Biker Mask
Biker masks are a great alternative for those who find it difficult to breathe in surgical or cloth masks as they are baggier and more freeing. Biker masks are also great if you want to exercise outdoors in a pandemic. You can easily pull down the mask allowing yourself to catch your breath and then put it up afterward.
Biker masks just like regular cloth masks also need to be washed regularly otherwise they could develop a lot of greasy problems. An unclean mask is filled with your sweat, facial bacteria, and dirt. It is a breeding ground for diseases that some might say is not ideal protection against a deadly disease.
The Muffler Mask
It’s not wintertime yet, but a tight muffler serves the same purpose as any general personal protective equipment. Maintain social distancing (a 6 feet gap between two people) and a muffler mask or any other cloth that covers your face is fine for general use.
Sanitizer
Carrying a sanitizer with you at all times goes a long, long way in reducing your chances of contracting the CoronaVirus. Sanitizing everything you come in contact with is a good habit to develop in a pandemic.
Don’t come in direct contact with a public surface that could be a palette for COVID-19 unnecessarily and even if you do so sanitize immediately afterward. It’s just good practice, an extra protective layer as you may say that covers any mistakes your subconscious mind may make by touching unsterile surfaces.
Gloves
Medical grade rubber gloves are available in every medical store and now even in grocery stores. Gloves ensure that you come in minimal contact with anything that can carry Corona. They also help in reducing the propagation of the virus in case you are an asymptomatic carrier.
It is just beneficial for you and the general public that fewer and fewer people come in direct contact with any un-sanitized object or surface.
Ziqitza would urge people to wear gloves while shopping for groceries as that is one of the few situations in which a common man/woman would come in contact with numerous objects meant for the public.
Even if you do wear gloves, sanitize all groceries afterward as groceries come in contact with the most amount of hands in their delivery period, not to mention fruits and vegetables are stocked daily meaning a spread can occur with no difficulty if a single asymptomatic person comes in contact with them regardless of whether they are an employee or a customer.
About Ziqitza
Ziqitza Limited is the emergency services and ambulance company that strives to supply top of the line emergency response aid to Indian citizens. Ziqitza Healthcare ltd has head office in Mumbai.
Ziqitza Limited is one of the largest social enterprise in India with over 10,000 employees and has worked with the government of India to operate many emergency helplines like 102 and 108 in multiple states.
We want the people of India to also have services like that of first world foreign countries. That’s why Ziqitza Healthcare is working on ambulances that will be the size of a commercial traveler.
These giant ambulances will not only provide more space to transport patients but also more features that will come in handy during situations where immediate treatment is needed.
Check out more about Ziqitza and the work we do here