What’s with the confusion over masks?
A lot of the effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus comes down to a seemingly simple concept: Wearing a mask.
But the issue has proven a thorny one. Health authorities have changed their guidance on who should wear masks and when to wear them. This has led to some confusion and even suspicion.
But since the coronavirus first appeared, authorities have gained a better understanding of how it spreads and how masks can help stop that spread.
The U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has long advised people to wear masks because they help prevent people who are infected — whether they know it or not — from spreading the coronavirus.
But last week, the CDC added a new reason: masks can protect wearers who are not infected, although to a lesser degree.
The agency referred to a study led by Japanese researchers that found masks block about 60% of the amount of virus that comes out of an infected person. When an uninfected person wearing a mask is near an infected person who isn’t wearing one, the amount of virus the uninfected person inhaled fell by up to 50%.
But when both people are wearing masks, that produced the best result. The decline in virus particles reaching the second person was close to 70%. So, if everyone wears a mask when social distancing is not feasible, the infection rate will be cut, experts say.
Coronavirus infections are soaring throughout the United States, and even officials who had resisted mask mandates are reversing course. Roughly 40 states have implemented mask requirements of some sort, according to a database maintained by The New York Times.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, advocates a national mask mandate, as does President- elect Joe Biden.
Experts say masks, while helpful, are not perfect. Keeping a distance, being in wellventilated areas, and washing hands are also important ways to reduce risk.
U. S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams tweeted on Feb. 29: “Seriously people — STOP BUYING MASKS! They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching # Coronavirus”
But now Adams had a different message pinned to the top of his Twitter account.
“When we can’t stay six feet away from others, please, I’m begging you, wear a face covering,” Adams says in the videotaped July 2 tweet.
And in July, the CDC stressed that cloth face coverings are a critical tool in the fight against COVID- 19, particularly when everyone wears them.
Similarly, the World Health Organization early on had recommended against maskwearing for the general public, saying they might lead to a false sense of security and that people who didn’t know how to use them properly could infect themselves.
The World Health Organization changed its advice in June and now says people should wear them when they can’t be socially distant.
In the United States, there are no federal requirements to wear a mask. The CDC has made only recommendations.
And the attitude from the White House has been casual at best. Before the election, President Donald Trump often ridiculed Biden for wearing one whenever he was in public. The president also held rallies that brought together thousands of supporters, most of them not wearing masks.
Biden repeatedly has said there should be a nationwide mask mandate. He also promised to ask every governor to impose mask rules. For those who refuse, he’s vowed to go around them to seek similar mandates at the county or local level until the entire country is covered.
Some other countries have mandated mask use, from requiring them everywhere in public to using them on public transportation and in stores.
The response of the states has been mixed. As of Tuesday, 36 states have some type of mask mandate.
Republican governors in Iowa, North Dakota and Utah recently reversed course and required at least limited mask use.