Masking Is Not Just a Matter of If, but What Kind and When
Mask-wearing is critical. Here’s how to sustain it.
We are making headway (maskway?) here in the United States, with more consensus that masks are key. Collectively, we can drive transmission down big time by wearing them. But if we accept that the average person—talking about myself here—can’t wear a mask 24/7, then we need to make sure we have the best masks possible, and that we wear them when it is most critical.
Masks are important because they both block transmission to others and protect the wearer. They don’t do either perfectly—the better the mask, the better it works—but perfect is the enemy of good enough to keep the R0 below one. So, masks are better than no masks. That’s the most important point.
We would greatly benefit from better masks. Folded up T-shirts work, but the better the mask, the less the viral transmission. This is especially true for essential workers and those at high risk of severe disease. Higher filtration masks are key.
How do we get better masks? This will have to happen either through the federal government — which seems unlikely, unless officials invoked the Defense Production Act — or through the private sector. Investors and companies should be racing toward making these, with a huge market…
