Shazneen Mistry
With the rising number of Covid-19 cases as well other variants, an individual has to wear two masks instead of one while going out. Double face covering is important as different variants continue to spread at the same time when the city is unlocking, and only 10% of the city’s population is fully vaccinated.
When one talks, breaths, sneezes, or coughs, tiny droplets are expelled from the individual nose and mouth into the air. The mask helps in trapping these droplets into the fibrous layers and protects others from coming in contact with such droplets suspended in the air or from a direct splash while interacting with someone. They also prevent letting their own droplets out into the air, and all of this depends on the type and fitting of the masks.
A study published in the Physics of Fluids journal, by IIT-Bhubaneshwar, stated that wearing two masks provides an additional layer of protection and better fitting to minimize the leakage of droplets. Such leakages may lead to the airborne transmission of the Covid-19 virus. To explain the point further, the researchers used mannequins along with breathing simulators for the study. They used a combination of water and glycerine to create a fog to visualize the droplets.
With careful analyses of various combinations of masks, the researchers have concluded that a combination of N95 and a cotton mask was the best for safety as well as breathing comfort. While other combinations like surgical masks and N95 or surgical masks and cotton masks minimized leakage, the wearer required more effort to breathe.
An IIT Bombay study published in October 2020, said that the cough of a Covid-19 infected person can contaminate a large volume of surrounding air with the virus. The size of cough clouds is small when one wears a surgical mask and smaller with an N95 mask, the study stated. With an additional mask, one can further reduce the contamination.
Mandatory double masking in closed environments can help in reducing the risk of infections, the reasons include- to be in control of the anticipated third wave, reducing the possibility of going under full-fledged lockdowns in the future and let the city gradually get back to the pre-Covid-19 levels.
The basics of masking include:
- The mask should fit snugly against one’s face, as gaps can let air with respiratory droplets leak in and out around the edges of the mask.
- Buy a mask with layers, as a mask with layers will stop more respiratory droplets from getting inside your mask or escaping from your mask if you are sick.
While wearing two masks:
- Use a cloth mask that has multiple layers of fabric.
- Wear a disposable mask underneath a cloth mask.
- The cloth mask should push the edges of the disposable mask against your face.
- Make sure you can see and breathe easily.
