Measures to contain the disease spread require two things:
1. Limiting the contacts of positive cases via physical distancing,efficient contact tracing and adequate quarantine.
2. Reducing the probability of transmission per contact by wearing masks in public.
In addition to hand hygiene and physical distancing,guidelines for mandatory mask-wearing in public could prove to be a simple,effective and accessible way,to prevent disease transmission from asymptomatic carriers to healthy individuals.
Population compliance plays a key role when it comes to masks.For example,Vietnam- a densely populated country sharing its border with China, with relatively inferior economic and technological capacity, has had a commendable response to the outbreak. With a total of 288 confirmed cases, 249 recoveries and no deaths, it has set an example for the world. A Habitual mask wearing population,early intervention,vigorous quarantine policies and complete contact tracing has helped Vietnam in effectively combatting COVID-19.There have been many concerns regarding the use of masks by the general population including a false sense of protection,associated stigma,increased chances of infection due to repeated adjusting and rampant causing an eventual shortage of masks for the healthcare workers.[6]