Homemade masks have been proposed as an "innovative solution" by the government's Principal Scientific Advisor. A detailed official manual on using and making such masks is now available.

With medical face masks being reserved for health professionals and the public worried by a shortage of protective equipment, India's science and technology (S&T) ministry is offering a solution: homemade masks.

A detailed government manual on using and making such masks can be downloaded here.Link How to Make Mask

These have been proposed as an "innovative solution" by the government's Principal Scientific Advisor, and are primarily meant for people "who want to wear mask but do not have access to it".

"They can make these washable and reusable masks (at their) homes," said Dr Shailja Vaidya Gupta, a senior advisor in the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser.

The S&T ministry maintains that protective masks lower the chances of the coronavirus entering your respiratory system through droplets present in the air.

The government cites a report published in Pub Med analyses, which shows that if 50% of the population wore masks, only 50% would be infected by the virus. If 80% of the population did, the outbreak could be stopped "substantially".

Masks are especially recommended for residents of densely populated areas, the ministry said in a release.

"India has pockets of dense population: it's mind-boggling, the density; the North East district of Delhi has a population density of 36,155 per square km," Dr Shailja Gupta was quoted as saying in the release.

"The models and control points for India are out of scale! Masks and washing hands will help and [are] easy to make at home."

"Shops and services are demanding that the customers use face masks. In some shops, the patrons are denied services for not using face masks. The homemade mask would help people," it said.

"Many health experts are also suggesting [that the] use of face masks in public spaces could reduce the spread of infection."

Source: India Today