Times Of Swaziland: CARELESS DISPOSAL OF MASKS A DANGER

CARELESS DISPOSAL OF MASKS A DANGER
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 BY SIBONGILE SUKATI on 13/01/2021 23:57:00


MBABANE – The environment and public health in the country is now under a new
threat.
This is because of the careless disposal of surgical masks, which members of the
public are seemingly littering all over the country’s roads.
During a walk by this report along one stretch of a 100-metre road in the
capital city, about five of the disposable masks were found tossed either by the
side of the road or in the middle of the road. The blue and white masks are now
a common sight with regard to litter as some members of the public do not even
bother putting them in bins or trash cans.
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) Regulations, 2020 state that after use, a single use
mask shall be disposed of in a covered waste bag or bin. The spot fine for
breaking this regulation, according to the law, is E100.
Meanwhile, the Eswatini Environment Authority (EEA) has cautioned members of the
public against getting rid of the disposable masks willy-nilly.
Through its Environmental Information Officer Belusile Mhlanga, she said this
form of littering was not only harmful to the environment, but to human beings
too. She said for example, children had a tendency of picking up the masks and
then using them yet they had already been used and could contain viruses.
Condoms
Mhlanga said this was a similar scenario to when people used to discard condoms,
in particular used ones, in an unsafe manner and children would collect them and
use them as balloons, which they would blow into, which posed a great health
danger.
She said as an organisation, they could not currently conduct clean-up
campaigns, but called on every citizen to be responsible when it came to the
disposal of the masks. She suggested that like disposable diapers, those who did
not have proper bins should bury them into the ground. The era of the disposable
masks started after the outbreak of COVID-19, when they were suddenly available
to members of the public.
Initially, the Ministry of Health had stated that these should be strictly  for
healthcare workers or frontline workers, however, this was around the time when
they were not easily available in the market.
The disposable masks cost about E5 per unit while a box of 50 can also go for
E100. On cloth masks, it is encouraged that after use, they are washed and hung
to dry in the sun and ironed.
Meanwhile, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Regulations, 2020 titled compulsory use of
mask Section 4 (21) states that a person who contravenes a provision of the
regulations of the compulsory use of masks shall be liable to pay an admission
of guilt fine of E100.
Litter
Regulation 4 (18) makes it clear that a person shall not litter the ground with
a used mask. The regulations further state that a single use mask shall be
discarded after each use in a covered waste bin or bag.
The regulations are very strict on the sharing of masks as it is stated that it
is strictly prohibited. Sub-section 20 states that the Ministry of Health
officials shall educate the public on the proper use and disposal of masks.
Section 4 states that in the prevention of the spread of  COVID-19, the key
factor is the compulsory use of face masks by every person at any public place,
motor vehicle or premises in the presence of other people. The regulations,
however, do not apply to children under two years old.
The guidelines state that before putting on a mask, a person shall clean their
hands with soap and running water or an alcohol-based hand sanitiser. “A face
mask shall fully cover one’s mouth and nose and shall be tied securely or
placed on elastic loops to ensure that there are no gaps between the face and
the cloth face mask,” reads subsection 4 of the regulations.
The health guidelines further discourage the touching of the mask while it is in
use provided that in the event it is unavoidable, one shall clean hands with
soap and running water or an alcohol-based hand rub. The regulations further
state that a person shall not touch the front of the face mask and then touch
other parts of the face, especially the eyes, mouth and nose.