On Sunday, Saskatchewan NDP leader Ryan Meili suggested that people should wear cloth masks when they are out in public to help combat the spread of COVID-19.
He made an addition to his call on Monday by saying he’d like to see the Saskatchewan government and businesses in the province get involved to design, create and deliver non-medical masks to everyone in the province.
This comes after Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam said there are occasions when wearing a homemade mask outside is “a good idea.”
“We know that the Saskatchewan Health Authority is hard at work trying to get health care masks. Let’s get SaskBuilds, the procurement side of our government, working with local businesses,” stated Meili during his Monday update.
“The masks that people are wearing in the general public should not be masks for the purpose of health care. If we have masks that people on the front lines and health care can be using to protect themselves, that’s where they should be.”
He added that do-it-yourself masks shouldn’t be thought of as a replacement for physical distancing, either. Meili is encouraging people to continue to keep a two-metre distance while out in public and to stay home as much as possible.
He also pointed to the importance of getting medical masks to people who are at great risk during the pandemic.
“Older folks, other people with chronic illnesses, people who can’t afford to go out to buy and make masks on their own.”
Meili has posted a couple videos on his YouTube channel going step-by-step on how to make a do-it-yourself cloth mask. Those videos can be found here.
