The Maskers Episode 1: Armoring Up

COVID-19 is spread by both droplets and even smaller particles called aerosols.

Although cloth and paper masks can help stop the spread when everyone is wearing them, it is now recommended to wear N-95 or equivalent masks which can stop a large percent of those really small particles from entering your mask (especially important if others are not masking properly near you).

Although 6 feet space is not a magic number, it is a good estimate for the larger droplets, and it helps to give space so ventilation can clear out any aerosols that escape masks. The CDC now says to keep "distance", whereas the World Health Organization (WHO) still uses "6 feet distance".

The important thing is to use this approximate distance on top of masking and ventilation, not as replacement for.

It is the safest to wear a mask in both Indoor and outdoor settings.

If you do need to take a mask break, take it outdoors since it is better ventilated, and try to keep as much distance as possible from other households (aim for even more than 6 feet, we now suggest 9 feet if unmasked, and not directly downwind, from other households).

Covid can spread in both aerosols and droplets. It is important to SNEEZE or cough into a tissue or mask to prevent the spread of germs. Keep a spare mask if yours becomes soiled. Use sanitizer after sneezing.

With older COVID-19 variants, 15 minutes cumulative time was believed to be the time an infectious disease could spread from one person to another. However, newer variants have evolved to become more contagious and it is believed an infectious disease can happen in 20 seconds to 4 minutes if both people are unmasked and one is contagious. One-way masking is often associated with about a 20 percent risk after an hour, and when both people are masked with n95 masks risk of infection is approximately .4 percent after an hour. 

Your eyes are another way (along with your nose and mouth) that the COVID-19 virus and its variants can enter your body. Goggles, face shields, or protective eyewear can reduce your chance of infection through the eyes, especially in spaces that do not have good ventilation, where it is difficult to get 6 feet distance, and/or where others are not masking.

Carry protective eyewear, along with cleansing, defogging, and hand wipes.

When you or a member of your household are at higher risk for COVID-19, there are many things you can do: wear an N-95 or equivalent mask, distance, frequently wash/sanitize hands, cover coughs and sneezes, and avoid travel that involves being in enclosed spaces with other households.

There are resources out there for free n-95 masks: