Philippines President once again suggests public to wash masks with petrol

Rodrigo Duterte, the president of the Philippines, suggested last week that the public should wash their face masks with petrol. The government officials immediately responded to his statement and said, “The president was just joking about it.” According to BBC, a British news agency, the health department of the Philippines said about the suggestion given by Duterte that the face masks made up of fabric were needed to be washed with water.

According to the health department, the surgical masks should be replaced after being used. Now, Duterte once again revised the same suggestion. He said, “I am saying right, the public should go to the petrol stations.” He added, “The critics called me ‘mad and idiot’ when I talked about washing face masks with petrol. If I am an idiot then they should be the president, not me.”

“I said the right thing especially for the poor. If alcohol is not available, then they should go to the petrol station to get rid of diseases from their face masks by using petrol,” Duterte said. He added that he was not kidding.

Duterte further said that the public should try to understand my suggestion. However, it has not been proved by any study up to this point that petrol can kill diseases on a face mask. It is dangerous to stay in contact with petrol for a long time as it can catch fire quickly.

In the Philippines, more than 89000 coronavirus cases have been reported so far. More than 2000 people have lost their lives due to the COVID-19 infection in the country. The unique suggestion given by Duterte is facing a lot of criticism. Some critics said that the president had gone mad. However, Duterte backed his claim in his recent statement. He urged the public to try to understand his claim. According to him, washing a face mask with petrol is the cheapest way to get rid of diseases from it. There is no scientific evidence related to his claim.