Health Department Clears Up Controversial Face Masks Law

Face masks have been a subject of controversy in Thailand and worldwide, with people criticizing whether they should or shouldn’t be government mandates forcing people to wear them.

According to Thailand’s Public Health Minister, there are no laws requiring people to wear face masks. However, the Minister appealed to all parties for their cooperation, including tourists, in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul stated that there had been no clear reports from the Ministry of Public Health and related agencies regarding the warning by the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) that people might be fined for not wearing a face mask.

According to the Health Minister, while the suggestion is beneficial as the most effective prevention protocol, it must first be evaluated by all parties, indicating that enforcement is unnecessary if all parties adhere to the prevention measures.

However, he expressed concern over some international tourists who do not wear face masks during their stay in Thailand. He promised to discuss the issue with the CCSA. While he acknowledges that the practice may not be used in other countries, he urges them to abide by the country’s public health regulations.

In response to a question about whether stricter measures would be implemented if infection cases reached 10,000, the Public Health Minister stated that the situation remains within the Department of Disease Control’s epidemiological department.

According to him, since severe cases aren’t increasing and more people are being vaccinated, no adjustments will be made at this time. Nevertheless, he urged all parties to be cautious and to work together in order to prevent and contain the Covid-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, Thailand’s Consumer Council (TCC) reports that only a fifth of 60 face mask brands available on the market met Thai Industrial Standard quality standards.

This led the TCC to request that the Thai Industrial Standards Institute require disposable free face masks to be manufactured in compliance with safety standard regulations, instead of doing it on a voluntary basis.

Face Masks Brands Fail Quality Standards Test

In 2021, the TCC randomly selected 60 face mask brands for testing. These included 14 kinds of disposable face masks, 27 brands of surgical face masks, and 19 kinds of N95 masks. The masks were tested to determine whether they met the standard based on filter efficiency of 0.1 microns and 0.3 microns, air permeability and pressure difference.

The tests were conducted after the Upper House’s committee on human rights, freedom and consumer protection raised concerns about the quality of face masks.

According to Dr. Paiboon Choungthong, a TCC committee member on products and services, only three of the 14 brands of disposable masks met the standard. These are LOC, Medicare Plus, and Iris Ohyama. Iris Ohyama, however, overstated the filter quality for 0.1 microns, since the results showed that its filter was only 97.47% efficient, instead of 99%.

Eleven brands failed to pass: Zion, Lepono, Bestsafe, I-Tec, 3M, Asproni, Fidens, Life Mask, Microtex, Lanzhi and Yamada.

Only three of 27 brands passed the medical and surgical masks test. These are Nam Ah, Double-A Care, and TCH.

For N95 masks, seven brands passed the test: Minicare, Snake Brand, One Care, 3M, Welcare Black Edition, Ease Mask Zero, and Pharmatex.

Secretary-general of the TCC, Saree Aongsomwang, said the tests will help consumers buy higher-quality products. However, the council expressed concern that while N95 and medical masks must be approved by both the FDA and Thai Industrial Standards, disposable masks are not. Many of them are not approved by Thai Industrial Standards.

In order to ensure the safety of the public, the FDA as well as the Thai Industrial Standards Institute should enforce their standards on disposable face masks.

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