Several months ago, over 100 leading medical and scientific experts, including Nobel Prize winners and world-renowned epidemiologists, sent a letter to U.S. governors, asking them to require wearing face mask in public places, such as shopping malls and transportation systems, to prevent the spread of COVID-19. A similar recommendation was made by the Royal Society to the United Kingdom government through an evidence paper. You know it’s time to listen when the greatest minds on the planet come together to deliver a single message. Unfortunately, despite the local government’s positive response, there are still a lot of people who refuse to follow. They probably just don’t have the slightest idea of the true scale of the pandemic and how much difference wearing a face mask can make. Here are some of the major benefits of wearing face mask in public.
Protect Yourself
COVID-19 virus can be transmitted via the tiny droplets we release through our mouths and noses when we sneeze or cough. Once released, these droplets can travel 12 feet and stay in the air for up to 3 minutes. Research shows that even loud speech can emit droplets that travel far enough to reach another person. While social distancing can help keep you from catching the virus, there’s no guarantee that you won’t catch any droplets lingering in the air. That’s why you need to wear a face mask in addition to keeping a safe distance from other people.
Protect Others
Because the virus is already prevalent and a significant portion of the infected population are asymptomatic, it’s now difficult to identify and isolate the infected. The safest way to control the spread is to assume that everyone is a carrier, including yourself. Even if you tested negative once, there’s still a chance you’ll catch the virus and get sick in the future without knowing it. By wearing a face mask, you are preventing yourself from infecting other people.
Protect Healthcare Workers
Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers are putting their lives on the line every single day to treat not just COVID-19 patients but those who are inflicted with other diseases, some of which are even deadlier than COVID-19. By following the recommendations of health experts to always wear a
face mask in public places, you are helping to reduce the number of people healthcare workers have to care for, thereby reducing their chance of catching the virus.
Buy Pharmaceutical Companies and Independent Researchers Time
We all know that the ultimate solution to the pandemic is a vaccine. Unfortunately, even with today’s technology, it would take up to 18 months to produce a vaccine that works safely on humans against COVID-19. Considering how rapidly the virus is spreading across the globe, it’s safe to say that we don’t have that much time to hold up to the pandemic’s economic impact. We can’t keep our economy closed forever, but we can’t afford to further spread the virus either. The only thing we can do right now is to slowly revive the economy, while controlling the infection at the same time through proper use of PPE. This will buy researchers time to develop and mass produce a vaccine.
Speed Up Economic Recovery
As mentioned, if we don’t fully reopen our economy soon, more companies will close down and more people will lose their jobs. Since wearing a face mask allows us to go out and interact with other people without catching the virus, there will be a lower risk of intensifying the pandemic if lockdown is lifted at least for essential businesses. The open letter sent to U.S. governors specifically recommended wearing cloth face masks. They explained that a cloth face mask has demonstrated a capability to obstruct a high portion of the droplets from the mouth and nose. They reiterated, though, that this should be combined with other measures, such as wearing a face shield to keep the virus from entering the body through the eyes. That being said, not all cloth face masks are 100% effective in blocking COVID-19 virus. Some are made of poor-quality or sparsely-weaved fabric that can absorb viral droplets with ease. Thankfully, you can reinforce these cloth masks with filter inserts, such as the
Dragonscale MERV 16 Face Mask Filter Insert from top suppliers like DragonWise. These are specially woven pads designed to increase a face mask’s ability to block all kinds of microscopic organisms and particles, including viruses. Apart from the mentioned benefits of wearing face mask, it’s important to note that wearing cloth face mask also helps prevent the shortage of surgical masks, which are meant for healthcare professionals working in hospitals, specifically in wards that are considered hotspots of exposure. By using a cloth face mask instead of a surgical mask, you are letting first responders have the protection they need. To be 100 percent sure that you’ll get the same amount of protection, include face mask insert in your PPE set.
