A Kenyan was recently dragged on social media for posing wearing the wrong type of face mask to show their preparedness to prevent contracting the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).
One Brian Mutinda was pictured on Twitter wearing a genetic dust mask which attracted mass scrutiny and backlash.
Mamen hiyo ni dust Musk https://t.co/VJoZDj14qG
— Baba P (@MtuPombe) March 17, 2020
While Kenyan users took the opportunity to have a laugh, experts have expressed concern over the fact that the daft Kenyan is one of many that may have been misled into buying masks and sanitizers that do not meet the quality standards.
https://twitter.com/KenyaCaneSpirit/status/1239892426581512194?s=20
While surgical masks have been recommended, they are not safe, let alone these dust masks, doctors have recommended a specialized mask, an N95 respirator which they say is more effective.
Kenyans have also been joking about using alcohol as their sand sanitizers, a move that is not only stupid but experts say is a waste of booze as most of the alcohol doesn’t even have enough alcohol percentage to kill the virus, Soap is the best option to prevent yourself from the virus. A hand sanitizer with at least 60pc alcohol is advised.
The Kenya Bureau of Standards has also warned that it is illegal to manufacture and offer for sale any product that has not been tested and approved. “Kebs’s mandate entails consumer protection against substandard products that might be harmful to health. Kebs conducts factory inspections, product certification, market surveillance activities to monitor the quality of products at varied points of sale,” the agency said in a statement.
