Wearing double masks can be more effective on avoiding getting and spreading Covid-19. 

According to CBS news, earlier this Wednesday February 10, 2021 CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has stated a new suggestion that would include wearing well-fitted face masks or two masks at the same times to help curb the Covid-19 pandemic. Currently, CBS news has also reported that CDC has tested various masks in lab settings and have recently founded that combining a cloth mask over a surgical mask could dramatically reduce both the spread and exposure of the virus. Interesting fact the test had shown that wearing one disposable mask had 42% of cough droplets and combining a disposable and cloth mask blocks 92.5% of particles from a cough. In addition, CDC has also stated that wearing a mask can decrease the risk to a 65% from being infected by Covid-19. In a random survey of students and staff 38 out of 53 voted yes that wearing two masks would help us decrease the exposure of getting Covid-19 and 15 said it wouldn’t help.  

“I think the CDC has requested wearing double mask based on research they have performed proving further protection against covid. I think it makes sense and will help decrease the spread of covid by blocking more of the particles that go through the masks,” college student Karen Tolentino said.

“The reason why I think CDC requested to wear double mask is because even though many are taking precautions wearing a mask is not enough and having to wear two would most definitely decrease the spread,” senior Daniela Moreno said. 

Accordingly, to a random survey 47 out of the 53 have chosen yes to wearing a double mask in public areas and wearing a single mask in a nonpublic area would be fine; however, only 6 have chosen that it would not be good. According to cnet.com Andrea Love have recently said “If you’re walking outdoors and aren’t in proximity to people outside of your household, a single mask should suffice, Love says. If you plan to be near people who aren’t in your household, however, even outdoors, a simple solution is to double-mask.” Prior to this Love has also recommend that wearing double mask would be more beneficial during this pandemic.

“I do think that would be suitable since there’s a minimal amount of people around you, so I believe 1 mask should be fine. Unlike crowded areas where in my opinion I’d be best to wear 2 in order to prevent the continuous spread of the virus. At the end of the day, we should still be taking the precaution needed to stay safe,” senior Wendy Perez said.

“I believe that it should be fine to wear a single mask when there isn’t a crowd around because there’s a less chance of getting COVID. If we’re following the norms of social distancing while maintaining our mask on to keep our germs to ourselves. Due to the new studies, the protection for others around you for COVID using two masks was proven to improve the function the masks have to decrease the spread of COVID,” senior Fidelia Bustos said.

In a survey 22 people have chosen that they are okay about wearing double mask, 18 feel safer about wearing double mask and 13 choose that they prefer to keep wearing one single mask. According to Bostonglobe.com Dr. Dara Kass works in the medical center and has treated coronavirus patients have felt that wearing a double mask would be helpful to be safe. Originally Dr. Dara Kass had the virus herself and had declared that doubling up mask would be the best support to stay safe and avoid the spread. Formerly, essential workers and people that go to the store had only wear one mask but recently a professor from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has requested in also wearing a double mask in public areas rather you work there or go to buy things.  

“I currently wear two masks and even though I have had my first dose of the vaccine, I feel better wearing two as I am at school with other teachers and students. It is protection for me and others. I vary the masks I wear. It is mostly two fabric ones and usually one has a coffee filter in it as an additional layer,” English student teacher Noelle Lowther said.  

“It’s way better but I feel like it’s going to make it much harder for people to actually wear a mask. I work in fast food and most of the time people don’t wear mask to begin with,” senior and essential worker Michelle Morales said.  

According to the survey 25 people have chosen that a disposable and a fabric mask is more effective, 19 people chose that a N95 would be the second efficient mask and 9 people chose that two disposables would be the third efficient mask. According to CBS news, CDC has stated that it’s not recommended wearing two disposable masks at the same time and layering a N95 with another mask shouldn’t be needed mostly because the N95 mask is one of the masks that is helpful to be working or being around any patients with COVID-19 like the health care workers and first responders. Recently, CDC has suggested that combining two masks can reduce the exposure by 83% from droplets spread.   

“I think an N95 mask will protect us more because to my knowledge those are the ones that doctors use which I assume it is for a reason (more effective),” college student Karen Tolentino said. 

“I think that by using the cloth/fabric mask we will be safe because it prevents germs from spreading. I think that by using two mask we will be even more safe since you will have double the protection,” senior Vanessa Aguilar said. 

In a random survey 34 people have said that they think wearing double masks would not affect our ability to breathe and 19 said that it would influence our breathing. According to cnet.com, wearing two masks should not make it hard to breathe. Initially, studies have demonstrated that wearing masks doesn’t impede oxygen consumption even for adults over 65 years old. Also, with two face masks you will still be able to get oxygen. Without a doubt two face mask might not feel comfortable at first but it’s safer to wear double. In other words, a little discomfort is way better than contracting covid-19 or spreading it. 

“Because having a lot of layers covering your nose and mouth will make it harder to breathe. Especially if it’s a thick material like cloth. I think 2 masks is the max because wearing 3 or more masks is just too much,” senior Moises Enciso said.   

“I think wearing double mask will affect us not breathing properly because with one mask we already feel like we are not breathing properly then if we were to use double mask that can affect us more,” senior Elizabeth Hilario said.