We collect cookies to analyze our website traffic and performance; we never collect any personal data. Cookie Policy
Accept
NEW YORK DAWN™NEW YORK DAWN™NEW YORK DAWN™
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
  • Home
  • Trending
  • New York
  • World
  • Politics
  • Business
    • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
  • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion
    • Art
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Reading: Americans Are Now Learning What People in East Asia Already Knew About Masks
Share
Font ResizerAa
NEW YORK DAWN™NEW YORK DAWN™
Search
  • Home
  • Trending
  • New York
  • World
  • Politics
  • Business
    • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
  • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion
    • Art
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Follow US
NEW YORK DAWN™ > Blog > Trending > Americans Are Now Learning What People in East Asia Already Knew About Masks
Americans Are Now Learning What People in East Asia Already Knew About Masks
Trending

Americans Are Now Learning What People in East Asia Already Knew About Masks

Last updated: January 15, 2022 10:14 pm
Editorial Board Published January 15, 2022
Share
SHARE
15virus briefing asia masks 01 facebookJumbo

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conceded in an announcement on Friday that cloth masks do not protect against the coronavirus as effectively as surgical masks or respirators.

In East Asia, a pronouncement like that would not be necessary because it is already common knowledge.

The region’s mask-wearing customs vary because each country has responded over the years to different sets of epidemiological and environmental threats. But this much is clear: Surgical masks have generally been the public face covering of choice for protection against all manner of epidemics, allergies and pollution.

They have also been the go-to mask for those who cover their faces in public, as a courtesy, to prevent others from catching their sniffles.

In Hong Kong, surgical masks were common during the SARS epidemic of 2002-2003 and have been worn widely in public throughout the current pandemic. Official government guidance in the Chinese territory recommends surgical masks and does not even mention cloth ones.

In mainland China, a Spring 2020 survey of mask wearers who were not health care workers found that nearly 94 percent of them wore the disposable variety. Only 8.5 percent of them reported wearing cloth masks, according to the study, which was conducted by researchers at universities in China and the United States.

In South Korea, the mask of choice is a KF-94, the local equivalent of the N95 respirator.

In early 2020, the government encouraged citizens to wear cloth masks instead amid a respirator shortage, said Jaehwan Hyun, a history professor at Pusan National University in South Korea who has studied the history of masking in the country. But after a public outcry, the Korean Medical Association said that only respirators were effective.

“It is impossible to see cloth-mask-wearing people here,” Professor Hyun said. The rare exception, he added, would be people demonstrating their opposition to disposable masks on environmental grounds.

In Japan, there is no official requirement for people to wear surgical masks, said Tomohisa Sumida, a visiting research fellow at Keio University.

“Still, most people learn that surgical masks are better, and keep wearing masks even outdoors,” he said, adding that the government recommends “nonwoven” masks.

In the spring of 2020, former President Shinzo Abe’s administration distributed washable cloth face coverings, known a “Abenomasks,” to millions of residents. But the masks were deeply unpopular, in part because people preferred surgical ones.

As of late October, more than 81 million of the masks were still in storage. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in December that he had instructed officials to attempt to distribute them to people in need — and, if not, to dispose of them by March.

You Might Also Like

“A Family’s Fight to Reclaim Their Legacy”

Streamline, Scale, Succeed: Why Global Enterprises Are Moving to Odoo ERP

Beloved Children’s Book 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒂𝒑 𝑴𝒚 𝑴𝒐𝒎𝒔 𝑮𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝑴𝒆 Returns to Best-Seller Status Years After Its Release — and Fans Are Begging for More

Model With a Mission: In Conversation With Maurice Giovanni

AI Architecture Pioneer: How Abdul Muqtadir Mohammed Is Reshaping Cloud, Code, and Supply Chains

TAGGED:The Washington Mail
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Email Print

Follow US

Find US on Social Medias
FacebookLike
TwitterFollow
YoutubeSubscribe
TelegramFollow
Popular News
The Traveling Trump Show Comes to South Texas
Politics

The Traveling Trump Show Comes to South Texas

Editorial Board February 12, 2022
The week’s bestselling books, June 1
First-of-its-kind machine makes use of single drop of blood to profile newborns’ immune perform
Robert Colescott Throws Down the Gauntlet
Canada excludes Tesla chargers from authorities EV rebates

You Might Also Like

Global Security and Health Resilience: How AI-Driven Systems Could Reinvent National Safety—And the Visionary Behind the Shift
Trending

Global Security and Health Resilience: How AI-Driven Systems Could Reinvent National Safety—And the Visionary Behind the Shift

June 16, 2025
How AI Is Being Used to Enforce Modern Kleptocracy
TechnologyTrending

How AI Is Being Used to Enforce Modern Kleptocracy

June 16, 2025
We’ve Cracked the Code to Reality — And It Changes Everything
LifestyleTrending

We’ve Cracked the Code to Reality — And It Changes Everything

June 12, 2025
India Leads the World in Climate Action with Historic Tree Plantation Record
TrendingWorld

India Leads the World in Climate Action with Historic Tree Plantation Record

June 10, 2025

Categories

  • Health
  • Sports
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Technology
  • World
  • Art

About US

New York Dawn is a proud and integral publication of the Enspirers News Group, embodying the values of journalistic integrity and excellence.
Company
  • About Us
  • Newsroom Policies & Standards
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Careers
  • Media & Community Relations
  • Accessibility Statement
Contact Us
  • Contact Us
  • Contact Customer Care
  • Advertise
  • Licensing & Syndication
  • Request a Correction
  • Contact the Newsroom
  • Send a News Tip
  • Report a Vulnerability
Term of Use
  • Digital Products Terms of Sale
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Settings
  • Submissions & Discussion Policy
  • RSS Terms of Service
  • Ad Choices
© 2024 New York Dawn. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?