MASKS: Dig deeper

I wish Mr. Sayler and his ilk, especially all the uneducated City Council members who voted for the mask mandate, would review all the science behind mask usage and the usage of masks in the prevention of the spread of infections.

Mr. Sayler, most objections to mask mandates are based on real life scientific studies that show masks are not that effective in preventing the spread of anything, let alone COVID! And these studies are based on fitted masks that do not let 30-50% of the tiny droplets escape via openings of a poorly fitted mask.

I would quote from this article, “Clinical Infectious Diseases, Volume 65, Issue 11, 1 December 2017, Pages 1934–1942, https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/cix681”, “Medical masks [5] can help to protect users from large respiratory droplets [6, 7]. They vary in thickness and permeability and are not certified to protect users from airborne infection [6]. N95 respirators are specifically designed to protect users from small airborne particles, including aerosols [6, 7]. Strict regulations dictate the filtration efficiency and breathing resistance of N95 respirators, which also require fit-testing to ensure a tight seal around the user’s face [7].”

Enough said!

FRANK GUNSEOR

Coeur d’Alene