By now, you are probably aware that surgical face masks aren’t designed to filter tiny particles, unlike N95 respirator masks mainly used in industrial settings. This doesn’t, however, mean that surgical masks aren’t helpful in preventing the spread of airborne diseases.
A face mask, if worn properly, acts as a physical barrier that lowers the risk that the droplets the wearer expels as they talk, cough, or sneeze reach other people.
Wearing a face mask is highly recommended (or mandatory, depending on where you live) in closed spaces outside of your home — like grocery stores, shopping malls, or public transportation — and of course, when in close physical contact with someone outside of your household.
You can take your mask off in uncrowded outdoor spaces, if you estimate that it is safe to do so. You definitely shouldn’t need to worry about passing the coronavirus to someone else if there are no people around you, right?
What is the correct way to wear a face mask?
Practically, it doesn’t matter which type of mask you are wearing, because even a regular cloth face covering acts as a barrier. In addition, more people wearing cloth masks means that a large number of surgical and N95 masks can be redirected to health centers, where they are needed more than on the street.
If you do happen to accidentally touch your face mask from time to time, this isn’t a cause for alarm, especially since one of the purposes of the mask is to prevent you from touching your face. If, for some reason you must take your mask off, you should do that by taking the earlobes off first. Try your best to perform hand hygiene before removing your mask.
Of course, wearing a mask doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t continue to practice social distancing or wash your hands often and properly. To illustrate the point – even if you have an airbag in your car, you’ll still put your seatbelt on, and follow the speed limit too.
Can we prove that wearing face masks is effective in slowing the spread of COVID-19?
One common argument seen among "anti-maskers" is that there's no evidence that wearing face masks even helps slow the spread of COVID-19.
Due to the enormous speed with which the novel coronavirus is spreading, as well as the fact that mask compliance usually isn’t extremely high in our society, we had to search for places that introduced face masks from the very start of the pandemic to get better insights into the true efficacy of mask wearing.
One of these places is Jena, a German town with a population of about 100,000, which introduced a public campaign for obligatory face masks three weeks before masks were made compulsory across the whole country.
Within days after compulsory mask wearing was introduced, a massive decrease in the number of new cases was observed. We cannot say for sure that this decrease is a direct result of mass mask wearing, because there is a chance that this whole campaign made the citizens aware of the severity of the pandemic, so other protective measures – such as social distancing — may have had an additional effect.
Another valuable example would be Hong Kong, whose citizens took the initial news of unknown pneumonia cases in Wuhan seriously early on, because of their prior experience with SARS back in 2003. Although only people with respiratory symptoms were advised to wear face masks, the vast majority of the population was soon seen wearing them even in this pre-pandemic period.
For every 10,000 people, only 3,4 percent didn’t wear masks. Of course, other measures such as border controls and quarantines, were implemented as well, which resulted in less than 1000 cases in the first 100 days of the epidemic. A large number of people confirmed positive for COVID-19 in Hong Kong have reported engaging in activities such as outdoor dining, or going to gym, all without a mask. On the other hand, only 11 cases were reported in people wearing masks, and in their workplace.
If we compare this situation in Hong Kong with, say, Singapore or South Korea, we can see that the number of new cases in the latter countries was significantly higher, especially when observing mask-off settings and events, such as churches, which allowed saliva and respiratory droplets to spread.
These examples are the reason behind the belief that the mass usage of face masks can significantly lower the number of COVID-19 (as well as any other respiratory infectious disease) cases, especially in densely populated areas.
If you can wear a scarf during winter, then you can probably wear a mask on your face
Another “argument” anti-mask advocates use is that wearing a mask prevents carbon-dioxide from leaving your body — ultimately resulting in higher CO2 concentrations in the organism. If that would be true, then every surgeon, nurse, or even race drivers would suffer the consequences.
Carbon-dioxide and oxygen are gases, and as such will easily pass through a face mask, because the fiber is simply not dense enough. It is highly unlikely that this balance can be shifted, especially during the relatively short period of time an average person wears a face mask.
Since the N95 masks have a firmer grip on your face, and are made from dense materials which prevent extremely small particles from passing through, there have indeed been reported cases of oxygen reduction. This is another reason why this type of mask is reserved for medical professionals; especially given that they are currently short in supply.
Some people refuse to wear a mask as a part of their political agenda, alluding that their constitutional rights are violated. Others say the reason behind making everyone wear a mask is to show obedience.
COVID-19, prevention, and mask wearing: You can(‘t) be too careful
On the other hand, there are people who take wearing face masks to the extreme. They seem to wear them at all times, may hoard N95 models, and generally obsess over the whole situation.
This might, in our personal opinion, be overkill, as too much money and effort are spent on something that should theoretically be so simple. We wouldn’t say that these “mask evangelists” are necessarily wrong, but as we mentioned earlier, there still isn’t a guaranteed way to protect yourself against the coronavirus.
And although regular masks offer somewhat less protection, it would be pretty safe to say that, epidemiologically speaking, that difference is not that significant on a larger scale.
Of course, certain groups of people simply can’t wear a mask for a particular reason, first and foremost people with serious respiratory conditions such as asthma or COPD. If those people are in such a frail condition, they should attempt to refrain from going outside in the first place, but if it’s necessary – they have the option of wearing some sort of face shield or visor instead. A similar situation applies to babies and psychiatric patients, as well as anyone unable to take care of themselves, because in these cases, the mask can be a choking hazard.
Wearing a face mask improperly is basically like not wearing one at all
On the other hand, a rising number of people do wear masks, but unfortunately fail to do it correctly. Wearing a face mask improperly doesn’t benefit the person wearing it, nor the people nearby. The overall effect of this behavior is the same as not wearing a face mask at all.
If you're wearing a mask, make sure you do so properly. That means your nose shouldn't be poking out. The mask shouldn't be a "decoration" around your neck. You should not frequently take the mask off with unwashed hands, and then put it back on your face. You certainly shouldn't be wearing either a disposable or reusable mask for weeks on end — instead, replace your mask after every use.
A final word
Masks shouldn’t be worn just because someone made it mandatory. They should be worn in order to protect people around you, as well as yourself up to a point.
There will always be stubborn people, and as much as they have the right to be stupid, uneducated, and inconsiderate, their behavior shouldn’t impact the part of the population who chose to act responsibly, and therefore didn’t deserve to suffer the consequences of someone else’s audacity and arrogance.
Masks do not stop ideas. Masks are not a political statement. Nobody is making you wear them to rob you of your liberty. Masks “merely” serve to slow the spread of the coronavirus — to, perhaps, save your life or that of someone you love.
- Photo courtesy of SteadyHealth
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