Stay safe. Keep your distance. Wear a mask.
These three guidelines can be heard everywhere. Since the outbreak of COVID-19 last March, the rules for limiting exposure have been changing. The first was keeping a distance of six feet, the second was limiting social gatherings and the third was face coverings or masks, among others.
As of Feb. 10, 2021, the Center for Disease Control issued a statement saying that wearing two masks, a cloth mask over a medical mask, is the newest way to limit the spread of COVID.
The CDC recently conducted studies to examine the effectiveness of masks and how to wear them properly. Doubling up, securing medical masks by knotting ear loops and even wearing a nylon cover over a mask limits the spread of aerosols by 95%.
So, doubling masks also doubles the protection.
With the onset of new strains of the virus, it is essential to follow precautions from health organizations such as the CDC and the World Health Organization, or WHO. Their expertise is something that should be adhered to, not ignored.
The CDC also states that until more people are issued the vaccines, masks matter now more than ever to reduce the spread of the coronavirus’s variants. Additional protective measures should still be taken seriously, such as physical distancing, avoiding crowds, proper hand washing and the use of hand sanitizer.
The pandemic isn’t over just because others are over it. Two is better than one.
Email the Cardinal Points Editorial Board at cp@cardinalpointonline.com
