Who is allowed to wear medical masks according to WHO guidelines?

According to WHO guidelines, both healthcare workers and infected individuals are permitted to wear medical masks. Healthcare workers are advised to use masks as part of their personal protective equipment (PPE) while providing care to patients, especially in contexts where there is a higher risk of transmission of respiratory illnesses like COVID-19. This protective measure helps prevent the spread of the virus from healthcare workers to patients and vice versa.

Infected individuals, particularly those diagnosed with COVID-19, are encouraged to wear masks as well. This acts as a barrier to help reduce the transmission of respiratory droplets that may contain the virus, protecting others in their vicinity from potential infection.

This approach underscores the importance of mask-wearing as a public health strategy to curb the spread of infectious diseases, securing not only the health of those working in healthcare settings but also those who are ill and their close contacts. The guidelines promote a dual focus on protecting both the caregiver and the community at large.