Start wearing real face masks — not shirts or bandanas — to slow pandemic, experts say
COVID-19 cases are spiking across much of the U.S., and public health experts are wondering if it’s time to move away from makeshift face coverings to ones that offer a higher level of protection.
“Unlike seat belts, condoms or other prevention strategies, we have not yet standardized what we are recommending for the public,” Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease expert at UC San Francisco, told The Los Angeles Times. “And that has been profoundly confusing for the American public, to have all these masks on the market.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has urged the use of masks in preventing COVID-19’s spread, prompting a patchwork of do-it-yourself masks and improvised face coverings made of old T-shirts, scarves, bandanas and other easy-to-find materials. Neck gaiters, a sleeve of performance fabric that slides over the face, and plastic shields have also become popular choices.
While these options, to some degree, are better than no mask at all, experts say not all face coverings are created equally.
A Duke University study published earlier this year determined N-95 respirator masks, typically worn by health care workers, were the best at blocking the coronavirus and other airborne particles, followed by surgical masks and “various kinds of double-layer cotton masks,” McClatchy News reported. Bandanas were less effective, letting in about 50% of airborne particles compared to someone not wearing a mask.
Neck gaiters performed the worst out of more than a dozen tested materials, with Duke researchers noting “the use of such a mask might be counterproductive.” Those in the gaiter manufacturing industry have challenged that finding, however, saying a gaiter’s effectiveness is highly dependent on the material from which it is made.
What constitutes an effective face mask also varies from state to state. In Pennsylvania, for example, guidance from the state’s department of health states that face coverings can be made from “a variety of synthetic or natural fabrics, including cotton, silk or linen.” They can also be homemade or improvised household items “including, but not limited to, scarfs, bandanas, t-shirts, sweatshirts, or towels.”
Meanwhile in South Carolina, state health officials say “cloth face coverings” will do but do not offer specifics.
To help tamp down on the confusion, Dr. Gandhi says uniformity in the types of face masks worn may be Americans’ best bet at protecting themselves and others from the highly contagious virus.
“It makes more sense to standardize masks, to mass-produce surgical masks, which are not very expensive,” she told The Los Angeles Times. “We’re spending a lot more on everything else.”
This story was originally published November 20, 2020 at 12:45 PM with the headline "Start wearing real face masks — not shirts or bandanas — to slow pandemic, experts say."