Cloth masks are NOT enough to stop the spread of COVID-19 without social distancing

Wearing a cloth mask isn’t enough to prevent the spread of the coronavirus without exercising social distance, a new study suggests.

Researchers at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces examined five different types of face coverings.

Each material significantly reduced the number of droplets dispersed.

However, the team found that the fabric masks allow enough sneeze droplets through that a user, standing less than two meters apart, can inhale enough to potentially become ill from COVID-19.

“ A mask certainly helps, but if the people are very close together, there is still a chance of spreading or contracting the virus, ” said study co-author Dr. Krishna Kota, associate professor in the department of mechanical and aerospace engineering at New Mexico State University.

‘It’s not just masks that help. It is both the masks and the distance. ‘

For the study, published in the journal Physics of liquid, the team built a machine that mimics people’s coughs and sneezes.

It uses an air generator to blow out tiny liquid droplets, such as those that would escape from a nose or mouth.

The machine has been tested on five different types of masks: an N95 mask, a surgical mask, a cloth mask, a two-layer cloth mask and a wet two-later cloth mask.

The researchers say moistening a mask can help because the fibers of the material will expand, reducing the pore size accessible to droplets.

Two square glass tubes were joined with a mask tightly between them and a camera lens to collect the number of drops.

Each of the masks was able to block most of the droplets, with the best performing N95 blocking 100 percent of the droplets.

Meanwhile, the worst was the plain cloth mask, which blocked only 96.4 percent of the droplets.

At distances of less than six feet, however, letting in about three percent of the droplets can be enough to make someone sick.

Studies have shown that the mean infection threshold for COVID-19 is 1000 virus particles, all of which are inhaled at the same time or on different occasions.

In addition, a single sneeze has the potential to transport up to 200 million virus particles.

The cloth mask allowed more than 1,000 sneeze drops to pass through, each of which could contain millions of virus particles.

The two-layer fabric mask with PM2.5 filter allowed more than 600 sneezes through.

This means that if someone wearing one of these masks is near an infected person, enough droplets can escape for COVID-19 to contract.

“Without a face mask, it is almost certain that many strange droplets will be transferred to the sensitive person,” said Kota.

Wearing a mask provides substantial, but not complete protection to a susceptible person by reducing the number of strange sneezing and coughing droplets in the air that would otherwise enter the person without the mask.

“Consideration should be given to minimizing or avoiding direct personal or frontal human interactions, if possible.”