How Do Masks Protect Me?

We ask family physician and Masks4Canada organizer Amy Tan

- Courtney Shea

Most Canadians agree masks help to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but can you review how that works?

Scientic evidence has shown that if 80 per cent of the population wears a reusable cloth mask, the spread of COVID-19 in the community decreases by 40 per cent. That kind of decrease is enough to make it so the number of cases isn’t growing exponentially. That’s extremely significant. It’s why we need a high level of public buy-in.

Because my mask protects you and your mask protects me?

Exactly. In the early stages of COVID, we were still looking at masks in terms of their potential to protect the wearer. But now we know that the chief purpose of wearing a cloth mask is not to keep the coronavirus out, but to keep your own droplets in.