Recommendation for mask wearing in close quarter locations

darren sharpe made this Official Information request to Ministry of Health

Response to this request is long overdue. By law Ministry of Health should have responded by now (details and exceptions). The requester can complain to the Ombudsman.

From: darren sharpe

Dear Ministry of Health,

Can you please outline the reasoning for the recommendation for wearing of face masks in public for persons transacting with the general public and operating in close proximity to other people.

Can you please provide evidence of the efficacy of the use of masks, including the efficacy of different types, the average separation required for such masks to be effective against a carrier of COVID19

Can you please confirm and provide evidence that testing has been completed on the impacts of mask wearing on the individual in respect of retention and rebreathing of bodily waste products exhaled by the individual in such circumstances.

Can you also confirm and provide evidence to support that use of a mask in the NZ external environment does not impact upon the blood oxygen levels of an individual operating in this environment

Can you also outline how the recommendation to wear a mask is appropriate given that many mask manufacturers have one or both of the following statements in reference to their products "this product does not provide protection against any virus" and "ensure professional guidance or training is obtained to ensure correct fit of this mask"; and outline how these waivers are able to be over-ridden.

Yours faithfully,

darren sharpe

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c a left an annotation ()

Hi Darren, was this ever answered?
I have been trawling the requests looking for one that was answered about the evidence supporting the use of masks but can not find it. I was wondering if it was yours and the answer has been retracted?

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