Sask. top doctor agrees people should wear masks when physical distance isn't possible

The top doctor for the province of Saskatchewan is agreeing with Canada's chief public health officer in saying Canadians should wear a mask when physical distancing isn't possible.

Dr. Saqib Shahab, Saskatchewan's chief medical officer said maskscan be helpful where people cannot physically distance themselves from others because if a person were to cough, it stops droplets from landing on a surface or another person.

He said Dr. Theresa Tam's recommendation was signed off by all the provincial chief medical health officers as well.

"A nonmedical mask is useful in those settings where two metre separation cannot be maintained," Shahabsaid.

"Just an extra layer of precaution," he said. "Certainly if people feel comfortable wearing non-medical masks when they're out and about and that's certainly a good thing to do."

This is a marathon, not a sprint.- Dr. Saqib Shahab

Shahab said people do not need to wear a mask at all times. He said if people are wearing a mask constantly, that can lead to fatigue and cause people to not wear it in the fall during a possible second wave.

"This is a marathon, not a sprint," Shahab said of the virus on CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning on Wednesday.

"If we start over using [masks]right now when our community transmission is low and there are situations where we can maintain two meter separation, then what happens is fatigue sets in and then you don't bother when you actually have to use it."

COVID-19: What kind of non-medical masks should people wear?

4 years ago

Duration 2:46

An emergency room doctor answers viewer questions about the COVID-19 pandemic including what kind of non-medical mask people should wear.

Shahab said when there are higher rates of community transmission and in outbreak situations, people should wear masks. As well, as the allowable size of in-person meetings grows, people should consider wearing a mask and practice wearing it at home first.

Shahab said people only going out if they are asymptomatic and maintaining distance has served the province well so far. He said he personally doesn't wear a mask when grocery shopping.

"One thing that we have in Saskatchewan isspace," Shahab said. "Whether it's going out for a walk near where we live or even going shopping, we generally can go about our daily business currently while maintaining a safe two metre distance."

Shahab said just because a person is wearing a mask, it doesn't mean they can get close to others. He said people need to maintain a two metredistance, even with a mask, and practice good hand hygiene.

"All that other stuff is just as important whether we wear a mask or not," Shahab said.

Personal care service providers, like hairdressers,are required to wear non-medical masks. Shahab said people also need to remember to not fidget with their mask when they are wearing it.

Volunteers making thousands of masks for northern Saskatchewan

Angela Bishop was glad to hear the suggestion to wear masks.Bishop started making masks for her brother a medical taxi driver in northern Saskatchewan and has gone on to co-ordinate 'The Masked Makers,' which has 15 people sewing masks.

"The mask that we put on another person's face is the mask that's going to end up protecting us," Bishop said.

She said the group has made between 3,500 and 4,000 masks so far. Every Tuesday and Thursday members deliver the masks to northern Saskatchewan. They have delivered more than 400 to La Loche, Sask.

"They're made with polypropylene which is different from cotton masks in terms of the care of the material," Bishop said. "We sometimes use cotton as a single outer layer but next to the skin we always put polypropylene."

Bishop said the group mainly makes masks for Indigenous communities and tries to use designs that make them proud to be who they are.

Anyone in northern Saskatchewan who would like to request a mask can contactBishop on Facebook at facebook.com/angela.bishop.908.