Should You Wear a Mask?
Friday, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced its recommendation that every person in the United States should wear a cloth mask or face covering in public to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.
“While the White House 30 Day Stay At Home guidance remains our most powerful weapon against Covid-19, CDC’s recommendation to wear a cloth face covering may help protect the most vulnerable,” the CDC said Friday.
Before Friday, messaging had been mixed regarding whether non-healthcare professionals should wear face coverings and masks to help prevent spread.
“You can increase your risk of getting it by wearing a mask if you are not a health care provider,” U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams said to Fox & Friends back in early March. “Folks who don’t know how to wear them properly tend to touch their faces a lot and actually can increase the spread of coronavirus.”
should you wear a mask?
Yes, but wearing a mask should not make someone feel safe from coronavirus and it is important that the general public not deprive medical professionals from obtaining the personal protective equipment (PPE) that they need. Additionally, infants and anyone who has trouble breathing or would otherwise be unable to remove the mask without assistance should not wear masks.
German Lopez wrote for Vox, “While the evidence is limited, the research suggests that more mask use by the greater public could help stop the spread of Covid-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Some studies in households and colleges ‘show a benefit of masks,’ Raina MacIntyre, head of the Biosecurity Program at the University of New South Wales in Sydney Australia, told me, ‘so it would be plausible that they would also protect in lower-intensity transmission settings such as in the general community.’”
“...research suggests that more mask use by the greater public could help stop the spread of Covid-19...”
The CDC’s recommendation is that cloth face coverings be worn “in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.”
What Kind of Mask Should You Wear?
According to the CDC’s recommendations, a cloth face covering should do the following:
“fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face
be secured with ties or ear loops
include multiple layers of fabric
allow for breathing without restriction
be able to be laundered and machine dried without damage or change in shape.”
So, a month ago we weren’t supposed to wear masks, now we are - what gives?
The messaging on this has been contradictory and confusing at the top-level. However, the rationale behind the recommendations has been fairly consistent.
Earlier recommendations to not wear masks were based on conclusions that the general public would not benefit from wearing them. The thinking was that telling people to wear masks may make them feel safer and lead to greater confidence that safe social interaction was possible.
Now the recommendation is to wear a mask. But it is important to remember that wearing one is simply “better than nothing.” It does not guarantee that you will not contract the virus or that you will not be capable of spreading it, so social distancing guidelines should still be adhered to.
Mask Risks
Wearing a mask comes with its own risks. If an individual wears a mask that is ill-fitting, they may find themselves more likely to touch their face to adjust the mask, which can increase the likelihood of contracting the virus.
Masks should be washed regularly. Many studies have found that without regular washing, a mask may hold virus-containing droplets and increase the odds of the wearer breathing in those droplets.
