As mask-wearing was becoming the norm last summer, an infographic went viral on Instagram. It demonstrated the risk of Covid-19 transmission when one person was infected and another wasn’t – depending on mask use. When neither individual wore a mask, the graphic showed transmission was almost a certainty. When the healthy person wore one, transmission was quite likely if the infected person went without. The only way to make the risk effectively nonexistent, the graphic showed, was for both parties to wear some form of face covering.
This has been the common message on masks for nearly a year: that we don’t only wear them to protect ourselves, but also to protect others. We have known for months that mask-wearing by all parties – particularly indoors, where airborne transmission is most likely – can make transmission near-impossible, especially when combined with good ventilation. It is one of the most effective things individuals can do, and it doesn’t require specialist equipment. A study published in September 2020 by researchers at the University of Edinburgh found masks can block 99.9 per cent of Covid-linked droplets.
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