If you have tested positive, can you take off your mask when you go home for the Spring Festival? Latest answers from experts →

During the Spring Festival, the mobility of people increases. As the "first person responsible" for your own health, can you take off your mask if you have tested positive? Yang Xiaobing, director of the Institute of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control of Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, explains in detail:

Yang Xiaobing introduced that on January 8, the "Class B Management" for COVID-19 infection was implemented, and the prevention and control measures were further optimized and adjusted. At present, it is the epidemic season of COVID-19 infection and other respiratory infectious diseases such as influenza, and the source of infection in the society is more uncertain. For citizens who have not been infected, personal protection should be done well. It is very important to wear masks when entering and leaving crowded places such as shopping malls and hospitals, and taking closed transportation such as airplanes and trains!

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At the same time, Yang Xiaobing emphasized that vaccination is still the most economical and effective means of preventing and controlling infectious diseases. The COVID-19 vaccine currently used is still very effective in preventing infection, preventing severe illness and reducing deaths. He called on citizens who have not yet received the COVID-19 vaccine or have not completed the full vaccination or enhanced vaccination to get vaccinated as soon as possible, so as to get better protection before the peak of personnel mobility during the Spring Festival. In particular, the elderly population over 60 years old and those with chronic underlying diseases are prone to aggravating their underlying diseases after being infected with the COVID-19, and the disease burden and economic burden increase. Therefore, he called on the elderly population, especially those over 80 years old, to get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible, and get vaccinated early and protected early.

So, during the upcoming Spring Festival holiday, do people who have already "passed the test" need to continue wearing masks? Will they be infected again? Yang Xiaobing introduced that after being infected with the new coronavirus, people with normal immune function will have a certain resistance to the new coronavirus, and the possibility of being infected with other Omicron variants in a short period of time is small, but the winter and spring seasons are also the peak seasons for respiratory infectious diseases such as influenza. It is recommended that personal protection should not be downgraded to avoid being infected with other diseases just after "passing the test". In addition, after a long period of infection with the new coronavirus, the protective effect of antibodies decreases. When encountering strains with strong immune escape ability, it is not ruled out that a small number of recovered people, especially those with low immunity, may be infected again. Yang Xiaobing said that in the past few years, because people have maintained good personal protection measures and hygiene habits such as wearing masks and washing hands frequently, everyone has been largely free from the intrusion of various respiratory infectious diseases. Although the prevention and control measures have been adjusted, good hygiene habits must be adhered to. It is recommended that citizens and friends should still do a good job of personal protection during the Spring Festival holiday, and do not relax their vigilance, including wearing masks, frequent ventilation of home rooms, paying attention to hand hygiene, keeping a distance of one meter, not getting together, and less gathering, so as to welcome the New Year safely and healthily.

Source: Yangtze River Daily

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