Why face masks are now important to keep COVID-19 at bay

Wearing face masks in public places is now a mandatory is many states. But why everyone should wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic? Read to know the reasons.

To reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus, Mumbai, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh governments have made wearing face masks compulsory at public places.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the Mumbai civic body, has even warned of arrest under section 188 of the Indian Penal Court for flouting its order. The Uttar Pradesh government has also said that legal action will be taken against those not wearing masks in public places. Not just in India, wearing face masks has been made compulsory in many other countries.

In the beginning of the outbreak, face masks were mainly recommended for health care workers, people who have COVID-19 and are showing symptoms and people taking care of someone who was ill with the new coronavirus. It was also part of the guidelines issued by leading health organisation, including World Health Organization (WHO). Now, even healthy people are advised to wear face masks, face covering, scarf or bandana when they go out in public during the COVID-19 pandemic. What is wearing face masks so important now? Here, we explain why.

Asymptomatic people could be spreading the virus

As researchers and doctors gain more knowledge about the virus, it became apparent that asymptomatic people those who carry the active virus in their body but never develop any symptoms - could be spreading the virus. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also says that up to 25% of people with COVID-19 may not show symptoms.

In some cases, people who tested positive but didn't show overt symptoms at the time continued showing no symptoms even after three weeks of diagnosis.

However, it has been found that people who are presymptomatic can transmit this virus, most likely in the one to three days before they start showing symptoms. Presymptomatic people are those who have been infected and are incubating the virus but don't yet show symptoms.

Most confirmed COVID-19 cases (about 75%) come under presymptomatic category, say experts. They test positive without showing symptoms, and start displaying coughing, fatigue, fever and other signs of COVID-19 in a later follow-up exam.

Based on the data of COVID-19 cases, many studies suggest that transmission from asymptomatic and presymptomatic people, who were not recognized as having SARS-CoV-2 infection and therefore not isolated, might have contributed to further spread of the disease.

Some studies also revealed that COVID-19 may be most infectious when symptoms are mildest. This means people may be unwittingly spreading the virus before realizing they have it.

COVID-19 virus can spread through air

Until recently it was believed that COVID-19 is mainly transmitted between people through respiratory droplets when symptomatic people sneeze or cough. But a new study, published in Emerging Infectious Diseases, confirmed that the virus spreads through the air as well.

The researchers found a wide distribution of COVID-19 virus genetic material on surfaces and in the air about 4 meters from patients in two hospital wards in Wuhan, China. Their finding indicated that infected people may spread the virus just by breathing. Thus, it has become necessary for people to wear masks in public to reduce unwitting transmission of the virus from asymptomatic carriers.

Make sure to follow these safety tips while wearing face masks

• Wash your hands before you put on the mask
• If you are using cloth masks, wash it after each use
• Always put the same side against your face
• Remove the mask by the straps
• Face mask will not give you 100 percent security, so remember to maintain at least 6 feet distance from others

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