The World Health Organization is now calling for nations to encourage the general public to wear fabric masks in areas where there continues to be an intense spread of the novel coronavirus.

All health workers and caregivers are also encouraged to wear masks during their shifts. 

“In areas with widespread transmission, WHO advises medical masks for all people working in clinical areas of a health facility, not only workers dealing with patients with Covid-19,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a media briefing in Geneva on Friday.

The new guidance recommends for these fabric masks — which can be homemade — to be at least three layers: an inner layer of an absorbent material such as cotton; a middle layer that acts like a filter or barrier, such as non-woven material polypropylene; and an outer layer of a non-absorbent material, such as polyester or polyester blend.

These updated recommendations announced on Friday, are a shift from what WHO previously advised on masks, which was to not wear them if you are not sick or not caring for someone who is sick, in an effort to keep masks available for health workers.