By Jayme Hamel
With the current global climate, wearing masks has become the new normal. If you go to a public space, you’re expected to wear a mask. Some stores have the policy that they can deny entrance to anyone not wearing a mask. But despite advice from health professionals, there are some individuals who refuse to wear masks, whether for their health or the health of the people around them.
For a community as small as Vermont, we do have some news about the situation. Many local news sources advocate in favor of mask-wearing. The town of Londonderry is now requesting people shopping at local stores to wear masks inside. Emergency Management Director Kevin Beattie states that “he has seen many people not wearing masks or maintaining proper social distancing, and expressed concern that our low number of cases will usher in an influx of visitors who may not abide by the required two-week quarantine” (The Chester Telegraph). Towns are implementing laws in which mask-wearing is required when entering a shop, restaurant, or other business. In another article by The Chester Telegraph, Vermont joins other health sources in saying it’s important for asymptomatic people to wear face masks before it’s officially recommended by the CDC. Vermont’s health commissioner Mark Levine states, “Now I am joining other health leaders in recommending Vermonters wear cloth face masks in public even if they have no symptoms” (The Chester Telegraph). Before the CDC made any official statements on the topic, Vermont looked at other trustworthy sources and made changes. Levine noted that recent data shows the virus can be spread by infected people before they show symptoms.
According to the CDC, masks are the most effective way of controlling the spread of the virus. Masks are used as a barrier to stop respiratory droplets of an infected person from coming in contact with others. COVID-19 can spread from person to person without the carrier even knowing they’ve contracted the virus. You can spread the virus without knowing it due to the lack of symptoms. East Alabama Medical Center states, “COVID-19 can be spread even before symptoms appear, by such things as coughing, sneezing, or even speaking at close range. Cloth face coverings have been recommended due to their low cost and ready availability” (EAMC). Cloth masks are the most effective, accessible, and inexpensive option for preventing virus transmission, as they can be made at home or bought at most stores. Mask wearing is not only important for people suspected of carrying the virus but for healthy people as well. If a healthy person and someone carrying COVID-19 were to interact, the likelihood of transmission would be lowest. As East Alabama Medical Center states, “If I wear my face covering to protect you from me, and you wear your face covering to protect me from you, then we can all dramatically decrease our risk of transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19” (EAMC). This in addition to social distancing and handwashing is the best way to take control over the spread of COVID-19.
There are several strands of evidence supporting the efficacy of masks. One example of evidence comes from laboratory studies of respiratory droplets and how well various masks block them. An experiment using high-speed video found that “hundreds of droplets ranging from 20 to 500 micrometers were generated when saying a simple phrase, but that nearly all these droplets were blocked when the mouth was covered by a damp washcloth” (UCSF). This proves that wearing a mask does prevent almost all respiratory droplets from a potentially infected person from exiting the mask and contacting others. With the number of droplets produced from saying just a simple phrase, having a conversation with an infected person without a mask or without both people wearing masks could result in you contracting the virus. The strongest evidence in favor of masks comes from studies of real world statistics. A recent study published in Health Affairs compared the COVID-19 growth rate before and after mask mandates in 15 states and the District of Columbia. It found that mask mandates led to a slowing of daily COVID-19 growth rates, “The first five days after a mandate, the daily growth rate slowed by 0.9 percentage-points compared to the five days prior to the mandate; at three weeks, the daily growth rate had slowed by 2 percentage-points” (UCSF). With policies and laws put in place requiring people to wear masks in public settings, the number of new cases decrease significantly.
The world is changing very rapidly at this time. You may feel alone or hopeless seeing the effect the virus has had on the world, but we can control its spread as a community. Wearing a mask, handwashing, and social distancing are the most important components in flattening the curve. Informing others on how to avoid the virus and working together to control the spread are the best ways to put an end to the pandemic!
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