53% people don’t wear masks due to breathing problems in Mysuru, Bengaluru: Survey
MYSURU: A nationwide survey conducted across 18 cities in India claimed that 53 per cent people in Mysuru and Bengaluru don't wear masks due to breathing problems.
Wearing of masks was necessitated to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The survey by ApnaMask, an initiative by EkDesh only collected data from Bengaluru and Mysuru in Karnataka.
The survey report in two cities reveal that 94% of respondents wear a mask or cover their faces; 81% respondents believe face masks/face covers are mandatory as it prevents virus to transfer from an infected to a healthy person, while 53% don’t wear masks due to breathing problems.
About 59% of the respondents prefer cloth masks as compared to N95, surgical mask, handkerchief, dupatta or scarves. 53% of respondents prefer wearing a mask all the time when they’re at the workplace. 54% of respondents wear a mask all the time when they’re in a market or a crowded area. 81% of respondents ensure their mouth and nose are covered when wearing a face mask and 68% respondents wash their face mask with soap and water to reuse it, instead of disposing of it.
As per the survey data, only 44% of Indians are wearing a mask even while awareness levels around masks is at 90% high. As the country is inching towards a complete unlock, wearing a mask properly, maintaining social distancing and hand hygiene remains the three essentials to prevent COVID-19.
In all, inconvenience and breathing problems are cited as reasons for non-compliance. There is a belief among people that social distancing is enough. Young people are the most prone to flout compliance – be it wearing masks or stepping out of home unnecessarily. Women in general are seen to be more compliant than men when it comes to following safe practices.
Compliance towards wearing a mask was seen to be highest among those in the age group of 36 years to 55 years. Only 28% of respondents wear a mask while receiving home deliveries.
When it comes to proper usage of masks, the survey revealed interesting findings: Only 50% respondents wear a mask during the entire duration, while they step out of the home. Around 30% of people, put on a mask only when someone is in close vicinity. Over 73% of respondents ensure their masks cover mouth and nose when stepping out. Users also believe that handkerchief and face shield offered the highest protection with regards to coverage of ears, mouth and nose.
N95 masks are more popular among higher-income group. Only around 21% of respondents go as far as using a face shield in addition to a mask.
According to Shekhar Kirani, founding member, ACT Grant and Partner of Accel Ventures said, “Battling the pandemic needs a unified effort by authorities and citizens to help control the spread. There is global evidence that face masks help in the slow down of COVID-19 spread. In India, our survey findings have revealed that while there is a high level of awareness around wearing a mask, the compliance is very low or flawed".
The survey was conducted in partnership with Crownit, a leading research company.
Corona Soldiers Campaign
To encourage people to wear masks, ApnaMask launched a pan India campaign ‘I am a Corona Solider’ aimed at recruiting ‘Corona Soldiers’ who pledge to wear a mask every time they step out of their homes and also encourage others to do the same.