TWO MASKS, SNUG FIT REDUCE SPREAD, U.S. STUDY SHOWS

Making sure a mask fits snugly and the use of two masks is likely to significantly reduce a person's exposure to the coronavirus, U.S. laboratory experiments show. The U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention in January conducted experiments to see how well wearing a cloth mask over a three-ply medical procedure mask, and knotting the ear loops of a surgical mask and then tucking the excess material close to the face, protects against COVID-19. They found that both these methods helped reduce the exposure by more than 90 per cent in lab simulations. The experiments highlight that “masks work, and they work best when they have a good fit and are worn correctly,” CDC director Rochelle Walensky said.