There has been a trend, especially in European countries and on certain airlines to mandate a requirement of a “Medical” mask: Cloth masks banned by airlines, governments, and healthcare facilities.
Wear a Mask
As COVID-19 continues to surge, accelerated by the delta variant, several European governments and companies are banning cloth masks, arguing that they are not as effective as medical masks in the midst of the current outbreak. Instead, they are mandating medical-grade masks.
The reason? “Fabric masks are slightly less efficient at protecting people from infection than surgical masks,” according to Finnair’s statement
As one colleague and friend would say, is the juice worth the squeeze? In my opinion it is not and here’s why
- We have enough compliance problems – adding another reason why people reject an already difficult requirement adds to resistance. You just alienated a range of people who spent money or obtained their preferred cloth mask with branding or messaging they want and like
- How will we tell what satisfies the new standard?
- How will those enforcing the mandates know if a mask is ‘medical’ or not?
- Does anyone know what constitutes a ‘medical mask’ or does it just have to look like ones work in hospitals?
- It also adds the issue of attention to ‘counterfeits’ – like cloth masks not all surgical masks are created equal.
- Will this progress to the standard of motorcycle helmets and demand a seal of approval, how will that be obtained.
- Are there sufficient bodies able to certify masks and what will that do to the cost and supply of masks.
- What companies will be allowed to approve masks
- Is a poorly fitting medical mask better at protecting people than a snugly fitted cloth mask that is comfortable and not subject to constant adjustment
What would we rather have – better compliance with a slightly less than perfect face covering and one people prefer to wear or compliance a new standard with a specification that is not clear except perhaps to those that wear them for work in the medical profession?
As for the N95 mask requirement – you only have to take a look around at people who are wearing N95 or K95 masks to know this is not going to help. Even people who wear these masks as part of their work can struggle with correct fitting and if you have any facial hair (think beard or its many variants) your seal is going to be a struggle. Their value is linked to a tight fit. A tight fit makes them uncomfortable, especially for any long duration like a long flight. The valves that are added are designed to make breathing easier by allowing easy exhalation (these masks are deisgned to limit what you inhale such as asbestos on a work site) but for this purpose done’t offer the protection we seek which is for everyone
Time will tell – but in the meantime, that incremental step is to wear a mask, (almost) any mask (not single cloth or bandanas and not those with valves – see above)
