Does Wearing Two Masks Really Help?
We are now coming up on a year since America shut down thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. While things have begun slowly opening back up, the new norm are masks.
Masks are required pretty much everywhere in North Carolina to help slow the spread of the virus. But as more things begin to open back up, I have been seeing more and more of my friends on social media now “double masking.”
People have started to wear not just one mask, but two so that they feel more protected from the virus. But does it really help?
Well, the CDC says… It depends.
Wearing just one mask should be enough for most situations, as long as it fits well and isn’t loose. Doctors also recommend if you are wearing a cloth face mask that it be tightly wound, and have at least two layers. That will do the job for most circumstances. However, if you are in a situation where you want to be extra cautious, some doctors do recommend double masking.
Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease expert at the University of California, San Francisco says,
“One option in scenarios when you want extra protection is to wear a cloth mask as well as a regular surgical mask- that combination could achieve a similar effect at the N95 mask.”
So there you have it. One mask will more than likely get the job done but if you are trying to be extra cautious, you can always double up for the more risky times.
