How A Facemasks Slow The Spread Of Covid

News of Covid-19 has flooded TVs and smartphones for the past year taking the world by storm. What first started in China spread rapidly across all continents, making its way to the US faster than anticipated. To date, it has infected over 2.5 million Americans and claimed the lives of nearly 500,000. Under the Trump Administration, there seemed to be a lot of debate as to whether the virus deserved the massive media attention it deserved. Now that Biden has moved in, there's a shift of politics along with a whole new set of executive orders, one of which mandates the use of facemasks. 

The use of facemasks is a debatable issue that generally results in a deeper division between the American people. Perhaps to blame is the lack of credible information. Or, more dangerously, the spreading of false rhetoric from politicians and public figures. It's important to know how facemasks work to understand Biden’s 100 Day Mask Challenge: How Businesses Can Step Up. 

A Look at How Covid-19 Spreads

Before getting to the specifics of a mask and how it works to stop the spread of viruses like Covid-19, it’s important to know how a virus like Covid-19 spreads. Because it attacks the respiratory system, it transmits from one person to another via droplets generally released from the body via coughing or sneezing. These tiny droplets can rest on surfaces or disperse through the air, coming in direct contact with the face, nose, and/or mouth.

But How Can A Mask Help? 

People look at masks and think, but how can this thing stop an aerial virus? This is the tip of the iceberg that is behind the major division between the American people. Facemasks have proven effective in several controlled laboratory studies but, also in real life. The countries that have enforced the use of facemasks saw a significant decrease in the number of infections. In addition, several case studies proved that facemasks are highly effective at preventing the spread of an infected person to other healthy individuals. 

The "piece of cloth", as several anti-maskers put it, helps to stop those tiny droplets from landing on surfaces and spreading in the air, and winding up in someone's breathing space. By covering two of the major orifices exposed to the air, facemasks can do the job to slow the spread and are a temporary option until the vaccine rolls out with max force. 

An Additional Cost in Hard Times

Facemasks are not free. In these hard Covid times, thousands of Americans have been without jobs for longer than we’d like to think. Companies like intrepidprotect.com are attempting to make it more affordable, especially now that the new administration is stepping up American’s defense against the pandemic. One key to getting more people on board is helping them understand how facemasks work and real information that shows they’ve been a way to reduce the spread and contain the virus until a more permanent solution is ready to go.