This comes at a time the World Health Organisation (WHO) has indicated that wearing masks in public places could provide "a barrier for potentially infectious droplets"
"By now it should be clear to everybody that the most powerful tool to fight coronavirus infection is the humble Mask," Masiyiwa said on his Facebook page.
"We have to wear Masks for the next 12 months, every day, in much the same way, we wear clothes. They must become an essential part of our clothing, like underwear! If you wear the same Mask every day, it will become smelly, and lose its real effectiveness. Every person should have at least three masks, and change one every day."
The AU Special Envoy for Covid-19 added that unless one works in a hospital, people should use simple material to make masks.
"An old bed sheet can make great masks. For children old school uniforms are good mask materials. Putting on a Mask is bigger than washing hands, but together, masks and regular washing of hands will stop the spread of Covid-19," he added.
Latest research findings indicate that simple cloth masks that cover the mouth and nose can prevent virus transmission from people who are infected but have no symptoms when they must go into public settings, such as grocery stores. However, it has to be noted that the cloth covering is not intended to protect the wearer but to prevent the spread of the virus from the wearer to others.
Masiyiwa has to date secured more than 200 million per month, of what are known as N-95 Masks, used by doctors and nurses. These are available at a price not exceeding $2 per Mask, on the platform for medical supplies that he set up for African governments: www.AMSP.Africa
The organisation is a not-for-profit platform owned by AfriEximbank and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
