Coronavirus cases are on the rise in America and Europe Some countries are handling the pandemic better than others, and U.S. cities with mask policies experience the sharpest decline in new cases. Masks are the cheapest, easiest, and most readily available method for stopping the coronavirus in its tracks. From saving thousands of lives to helping the economy bounce back, wearing a mask is a no-brainer. Here’s why.
1. Protect the people around you
The coronavirus spreads from one person to the next via water droplets that exit a person’s nose or mouth every time they cough, sneeze or talk. Contaminated droplets float through the air then land on people and frequently touched surfaces. Masks catch those droplets and prevent the transmission of disease.
Everyone knows to remain six feet apart while in public. But water droplets can travel even farther. One study revealed that without a face covering, droplets containing the coronavirus travel more than eight feet through the air. A folded piece of cotton fabric reduces that distance to just one foot!
2. You could be sick and not know it
People can spread the coronavirus even if they feel healthy. Research shows that over 40 percent of total confirmed cases in the U.S. exhibited zero symptoms. It’s also possible to transmit the virus before symptoms show up.
If you’re not sure if you’ve been infected, it’s best to air on the side of caution and wear a mask. Many people are asymptomatic and will go about their lives unaffected by the coronavirus. But for some, it can be deadly.
3. Masks prevent you from getting sick
Masks work both ways. They’re primarily designed to contain the virus, but a face covering can protect you from other people’s germs as well. The more people who wear a mask, the less contaminated droplets will pass through the air. If everyone in the nation wore a mask, we could save tens of thousands of lives. It takes a collective effort to prevent sickness.
4. The economy will return back to normal
Face coverings mean fewer people will get sick. They’re exactly what we need to prevent a second lockdown and send people back to work. Since the middle of March, more than 44 million Americans applied for unemployment because the lockdown took away their jobs. With the U.S. economy reopening, face coverings will spare another financial crisis like the one felt by millions back in March.
5. Wearing a mask is the only option
Everyone is encouraged to wear a face mask because there’s little else we can do right now. With a coronavirus vaccine still pending, the best line of defense is social distancing, hand washing, and wearing a mask. These habits are easy to adopt, and research has shown they save lives. A cloth face mask costs very little money and could even be free. Find a folded piece of fabric in the back of your closet and you’re good to go. Or, opt for something more effective, like Air Queen’s new FDA 510k approved N95 substantial equivalent masks.
This pandemic won’t go away overnight. America will see over a hundred thousand more deaths by the end of this year. But if everyone started wearing a mask in public, we could prevent a lot of those deaths. Masks require almost zero effort but make a huge impact. Right now, it’s the best way to defeat the coronavirus.
