CER:
COVID-19 is caused by a virus and all viruses cannot move on their own. They
spread through a mode of transport (ex: mucus-sneezing, semen-unprotected
intercourse, saliva-talking, blood-sharing needles, etc.) Masks can help prevent the
spread of the virus that causes COVID-19 by trapping the virus particles. Studies
and simulations have show that COVID virus is transmitted primarily through
respiratory droplets and masking can decrease the death rate by up to 66% over
lockdowns and can progressively slow the spread of the virus from 0.9 to 2% over
the course of a few weeks. Because basic masks can block out particles greater
than 2.5 microns, COVID particles which travel on exhaled respiratory droplets are
unable to pass through the masks due to their ~ 5 micron size. There are
documented cases of this where a contagious person wears a mask and nearby
people are not infected. Thus, based on the evidence presented one can conclude
that wearing a mask can help prevent the transmission of COVID-19 virus.