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Guidance on whether to still wear masks while traveling

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How protective are masks when I’m wearing one and others are not?

Masks are most effective when they are blocking particles from entering your mouth and leaving others’ mouths. But N95s and KN95s — considered the gold standard of masks — are still an effective shield against the coronavirus even when you are wearing them and others are not, experts say. The 95 in their name means the mask filters out 95 percent of particles that you would otherwise breathe in.

Linsey Marr, a Virginia Tech engineering professor who has conducted research on covid and masking, emphasized that masks need to fit properly to effectively reduce exposure to coronavirus particles.

“The relationship between infection and exposure is not necessarily linear, so this does not necessarily translate to a 90-95% reduced risk of infection, but there will be a big drop in risk of infection,” she said in an email.

Natascha Tuznik, an infectious-disease specialist at UC Davis Health, notes health-care workers wear N95s for hours on end and are well protected even when patients do not have their faces covered.

“Oftentimes the patients in the hospital aren’t wearing masks … and it confers very good protection,” she said.

Lab researchers have found that various types of face masks, including cloth masks, surgical masks and N95 respirators, help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

N95 masks provide the best protection because they generally fit tighter than cloth masks and are made with special material designed to block harmful particles. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says any mask is better than no mask.

“I recommend a high-quality mask such as an N95, KN95, KF94, or high-filtration surgical mask,” Laura Kwong, a researcher who has studied mask efficacy at the University of California at Berkeley’s School of Public Health, said in an email.

How often can you safely reuse your KN95 or N95 mask?

One of the most important considerations is that the mask be snug across the nose and mouth and “conforms to your face without gaps,” according to guidance from Johns Hopkins Medicine. ...

ALSO SEE: How Much Does One-Way Masking Protect You From COVID On A Plane?

 

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