Not safe yet: why it’s not yet worth giving up wearing masks in the city

In Moscow and other cities of our country there has come a period of lifting restrictions that were imposed during the intensified fight against the coronavirus. Now the word “self-isolation” is a thing of the past for most Russians, it is possible to walk on the street not according to a schedule, and cafes and fitness centers have reopened. Along with such happy news came the temptation to stop wearing a protective mask. Especially in summer, when the hot weather makes itself felt. However, it is too early to forget about such a precautionary measure, we tell you why.

Why wear a mask, if the restrictions have already been lifted?

In early June, the World Health Organization updated the requirements for wearing masks – this was announced by the head of the institution Tedros Ghebreyesus during a briefing. Previously, experts recommended to wear masks only to the sick, as there was no data on their effectiveness in protecting healthy people. Now WHO advises to wear masks to absolutely everyone, regardless of age and well-being.

In this regard, the Internet portal The Village published an infographic in its Instagram, which delicately explains why it is not worth ignoring the WHO recommendations. If the numbers are to be believed, the probability of transmission can be reduced to 1.5%! But only on one condition: if the means of protection will be both on the COVID-19 carrier and on a healthy person. Otherwise, the risk figure increases.

To make sure whether everyone should wear a mask without exception, we turned to Mikhail Lebedev, a leading expert of the Molecular Diagnostics Center of the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor, a partner of SN PRO EXPO FORUM festival.

Mikhail: There are many variants of such infographics. As for the numbers – they are approximate, but generally correct. First of all, the mask should be on the infected person, but the best option is when everyone wears masks.

In the street – without a mask, in the store – with a mask

And yet there are situations when you can leave the house without means of protection. Back in April, experts from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations advised citizens to refuse to wear masks on the street. According to experts, it is inexpedient, and during walks it is better to breathe fresh air.

Such a recommendation is explained very simply: on the street you can freely keep a social distance of one and a half meters. But in public places it is quite difficult to do this.

Mikhail: First of all, masks should be worn in places where there may be a mass gathering of people and there is no possibility to keep a distance: in stores, shopping centers, public transport and so on. Accordingly, you can avoid wearing masks in places where it is easy enough to keep a social distance: parks, squares, forests. The more air movement, the less likely to be infected. This is why it is important to constantly ventilate the room.

How to cope with the feeling of discomfort in the heat?

With the onset of summer, it has become even more difficult to follow the advice of experts. Roman Molchanov, the chief anesthesiologist of the Ministry of Health, said that in hot weather many people refuse to wear masks or wear them formally, pulling them down to the chin. All because the means of protection on the face create a feeling of suffocation. However, according to the doctor, the refusal of them can lead to massive violations of sanitary and epidemiological regime and increase the statistics of morbidity.

Of course, it is difficult to wear a mask in warm weather, but it is too early to refuse protective equipment. Our expert told us how you can at least somehow make it easier to stay outdoors.

Mikhail: You can’t do anything special here, but there is such an option – move away from people, take off the mask and take three or four deep breaths to restore your breathing and improve your health. Next, put the mask back on and go about your business. It is also important to remember that in hot weather, masks become wet sooner, so it is necessary to change them more often, and it is much more comfortable to breathe in a new mask.

What mask is better to choose in the summer season?

Currently, the range of masks is extremely large. You can buy disposable medical, and neoprene, and even “copper”.

We decided to ask a specialist what means of protection to choose to wear in the summer to minimize unkempt feelings.

Mikhail: We had to choose before, when masks were not on sale, and many were forced to return to sewing reusable ones, as in the old days. But actually the most convenient are disposable hygiene and surgical masks. Gauze masks bring just as much discomfort to the skin. Just imagine that a real good gauze mask is four layers of gauze. And imagine wearing such a mask in the heat. And let’s not forget that any mask (disposable, reusable) should be changed regularly for a new one. In this case, a disposable mask is also much more convenient.