Masks: Helping or Hurting? By Megan Brown

Megan Brown
In a short answer to this question, masks help slow the spread of COVID-19. However, the reason why they help slow the spread of the virus can be confusing, given earlier guidelines stating that they were not needed to be worn by the general public. After more scientific research on this topic, it has been a consensus that maks are helpful to keep the population healthy, but social distancing and hygiene practices must be kept in place.According to Mayo Clinic’s article, “How Much Protection Do Face Masks Offer?”, a face mask is worn not to protect the wearer, but to protect those around them. If someone is asymptomatic a face covering such as a surgical mask or a cloth mask can be beneficial in reducing the number of people they spread the virus to. Mayo Clinic also mentioned the N95 mask, stating that they are extremely efficient due to its filtering of ninety-five percent of the wearer’s air particles. However, if the N95 mask that a person is using contains an air-filter valve, this can do more harm than good. The valve of this mask protects the wearer in this instance but releases the unfiltered air when the wearer exhales. This scenario rebuttals the whole reason the population is wearing the masks in the first place; protecting the public, not the wearer. With valve masks in place, asymptomatic people could unintentionally spread the virus, which is the reason why many cities have outlawed them.Another issue that has arisen with the use of facial coverings is the fact that social distancing sometimes doesn’t happen while people are wearing masks. Many medical institutions, including the CDC, have claimed that while masks have helped slow the spread of the virus, this does not mean that people should ignore social distancing guidelines. The social distancing guidelines that have been put in place are an extra barrier enabled for the protection of

the public. Both facial coverings and social distancing are important, but if social distancing is unable to take place, the use of a mask could help protect someone from contracting COVID-19. If the issue boils down to social distancing or a face covering, the use of a face covering is more crucial than a six-foot distance between people, as masks help protect others more than space will.

Sources
“Can Face Masks Protect against the Coronavirus?” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for

Medical Education and Research, 17 July 2020, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-mask/art-2048 5449 .

“COVID-19: Considerations for Wearing Cloth Face Coverings.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 July 2020, www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover-guidance.ht ml .

“Still Confused About Masks? Here’s the Science Behind How Face Masks Prevent Coronavirus.” Still Confused About Masks? Here’s the Science Behind How Face Masks Prevent Coronavirus | UC San Francisco , 14 July 2020, www.ucsf.edu/news/2020/06/417906/still-confused-about-masks-heres-science-behind- how-face-masks-prevent.