Improperly Wearing a Face Mask Increases Quarantine Time?

Source: OT-Team(S,J), Paper.cn, 光明网

When investigating people who have appeared in the same places as COVID positive cases, the investigation staff will classify the contacts into different risk levels.

The judgments are mainly based on the situation, contact time, and contact distance. And according to CDC, there is another important factor to consider: whether the relevant personnel wear masks properly.

According to China’s COVID investigation system, once a positive case get diagnosed, the local Center of Disease Control (CDC) and police will investigate all contacts under risk, and classify them into:

• Close contacts (1st Tier),
  

• Indirect close contacts (2nd Tier)
  

• High risk personnel for screening (Contact to Indirect close contacts) 

Then different quarantine measures will be implemented.

“Masks are very important factors”

The Center of Disease Control stated that, whether masks are properly worn in public places is indeed an important indicator for judging the risk level by epidemiology.

When investigating close contacts, CDC will ask relevant people to recall where they have been and whom they have met. Some records can help: Wechat payment record at shops, bus card using time, taxi riding time, also the footage from security cameras in public areas. When CDC look for people who showed up at same place and time with COVID cases, they will check whether they have worn masks properly from the existing video records .

Qiao Peng, Deputy Chief of the Epidemic Prevention Section of the CDC in Yangpu District Shanghai, and head of the on-site investigate team, said for example, if a confirmed case wears mask improperly, the risk level of the all his contacts will be be raised; if the confirmed case appears in a confined space such as elevator, people who come into contact without masks will also be judged in stricter level.

For close contacts and indirect close contacts, 14 days centralized quarantine will be required.

But for high risk personnel for screening, they just need home quarantine and community health monitoring.

For instance, when the Milk tea shop in Shanghai was set as a medium Risk area due to the detected COVID cases. Those who had been to the shop without masks or took masks when waiting or driving, may all be considered as close contacts. 

Therefore it is still very important to wear masks properly (avoid mouth and nose being exposed) in public areas. It is for our benefit of health, also it saves us from hustle if unfortunately we have contact with any close contact to the COVID cases.