1. Surgical masks are oversupplied for good in Asia-Pacific. Earlier, i shared many insights about N95 due to the nature of my work. Being the leader of MTI, I am shocked that his trade advisors are just desk-bounded and did not survey the market. This advisory is not accurate in any way, I wish to confirm that supply in Asia-Pacific is extremely strong now.
2. A pack 3-ply 50pcs surgical mask costs about $15 (online) to $28 (Petrol stations). This is back to the retail price before the outbreak in Wuhan. Each 3ply surgical mask cost 30-50 cents which is affordable for the general population.
3. Reusable masks are useful but not hygienic in anyway. Medical personnel will tell you that reusable masks are very unhealthy even if there is no exposure to pathogens. Imagine a lady wore an underwear ten times (like you trapping your mouth and nose fluids), try smelling it after washing or drying. You will know what I mean.
4. Reusable are very loose after washing 10-15 times. A good mask (cotton, 1ply, 3ply, N95) cannot be loose. Loose masks are extremely risky to people with smaller head circumferences, eg. children and SYTs.
5. Reusable masks should be considered contaminated after each use. They must be washed more thoroughly which reduces the filtration after each use. Your tees will look more transparent after ten washes.
6. Users are likely to touch all surfaces of the reusable mask throughout the day which is as good as dirtying your hands. Just imagine the contaminants from environment and user after taking a peak hour train ride. Keeping these masks in handbag after use, risks contaminating the handbag. This is called self-contamination. If you use a reusable mask, please keep it in a small plastic bag and bring home, and throw away the plastic bag everyday.
Cloth masks results in higher infection rates, and should be used only when disposable masks are not available. This is science.
