Cloth masks no longer good enough as University of Arizona updates rules for omicron
Cloth masks will no longer meet the University of Arizona’s COVID-19 face mask requirements as the omicron coronavirus variant spreads across the U.S., the school said Wednesday, Jan. 5.
The school said it’s requiring the use of “surgical or higher-grade (KN95, KF94 and N99) face masks” in all indoor spaces where it’s not possible to social distance, in any university-operated facility “where patients or human research subjects participating in clinical research are seen in person,” in places where PPE has always been required and on public transportation provided by the school.
Cloth face masks can still be worn on top of a surgical mask to “improve fit and increase protection.”
“These requirements apply to all faculty, staff, students, designated campus colleagues and visitors to the University of Arizona campuses or locations,” the school wrote.
The change comes as health officials have said cloth face masks do not offer strong enough protection against the omicron variant, which seems to be able to transmit and evade COVID-19 vaccines more easily.
The Mayo Clinic, a hospital based in Rochester, Minnesota, said Wednesday, Dec. 29, that it is asking people not to wear cloth face coverings at their facilities, McClatchy News reported. It will be offering surgical masks to patients and visitors who do not have one.
In general, health experts say it’s time to ditch cloth masks and opt for one of higher quality, if you haven’t already.
Dr. Leana Wen, a public health professor at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University, previously said on CNN that “cloth masks are little more than facial decorations.”
“There’s no place for them in light of omicron,” Wen said on CNN. “And so wear a high-quality mask — at least a three-ply surgical mask.”
Experts largely seem to agree that wearing an N95 or KN95 mask is the best option, especially if in a crowd. Surgical masks may be the next best option, Public Health Insider reported, followed lastly by cloth masks.
Double-masking can also boost your protection if you don’t have access to a KN95 or N95 mask, Dr. Christian Ramers, infectious disease specialist at Family Health Centers of San Diego, told KGTV.
Some experts had already suggested wearing higher-quality masks when the highly contagious delta variant began to spread.
As of the week ending Jan. 1, the CDC estimates that the omicron variant accounts for more than 95% of infections in the country, making it the dominant variant.
This story was originally published January 6, 2022 at 12:36 PM with the headline "Cloth masks no longer good enough as University of Arizona updates rules for omicron."
