As residents wait to see if we will face another week of lockdown, local GP Dr David Howe has reiterated the health advice for the correct way to wear a mask.
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"One reason to wear a mask is to protect yourself. The second reason to wear a mask is that if you should have COVID and be symptom-free while COVID is incubating in your body, you may still be contagious.
"After the virus is incubated, you may be symptom-free but you can still pass the virus on to other people.
"On top of that, the Delta variant seems to be far more contagious than the original variant. As well as that, younger people seem to be more susceptible to the Delta variant."
It defeats the purpose of wearing masks at all if [you're] not going to cover your nose.
- Dr David Howe
The local GP also stressed the need for mask-wearers to cover their noses in addition to their mouths to best protect themselves and others.
"Most people will breathe through their mouth and their nose at the same time. So it defeats the purpose of wearing masks at all if [you're] not going to cover your nose," Dr Howe said.
"By not having your nose covered you can still inhale... the virus. And when you breathe out, if you do have a virus, you can spread it to other people.
"Now more than ever we need to be vigilant," he added.
Western NSW Local Health District chief executive Scott McLachlan expressed similar sentiments on the need for masks to be worn properly.
"We've seen people with their nose down over the masks, and examples of that have triggered outbreaks of the virus," he said.
"We know the Delta variant is a sneaky strain and the last thing we want is to see it pop up."
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