Saskatchewan's chief medical health officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab. (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)

By Lisa Schick

‘Up our mask game’: Shahab reminds the province about mask use

Feb 16, 2021 | 10:42 AM

Masks have been mandatory in public indoor settings in Saskatchewan for about three months, but the province’s chief medical health officer is taking every opportunity to remind people about them.

Last week, Dr. Saqib Shahab talked about masks at a provincial COVID-19 update saying: “We all need to up our mask game.”

Shahab said a person should be using the best mask they have – one with three layers, if possible.

“Get the best mask that fits you well with a polypropylene filter,” said Shahab.

He said proper mask fit is important too.

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Shahab pointed people to the province’s website, where there is more information about masks and their proper use.

“(For example) if you’re wearing it the whole day, how to use something at the back or something so that you reduce pressure behind your ear,” said Shahab.

“There are all kind of hacks that work for different people — different hacks work for different people.”

The website talks about proper fit for a mask — that it should be able to cover the user’s nose, mouth and chin with few gaps.

It also has a link to a list of appropriate fabrics to make masks from, and mentions that bandanna and gaiter masks aren’t appropriate for these purposes.

Last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control came out to publicly recommending wearing two masks at one time instead of one, saying it can block 92 per cent of particles by creating a tighter fit and eliminating leakage. Shahab has not come out publicly in support of double-masking specifically at this time.