The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released new guidance on wearing face coverings during the coronavirus pandemic.
The CDC still encourages people to wear masks so they don’t infect others, but they should not have valves or vents that could allow the virus to escape the mask.
For months, America’s top health officials and experts have pounded home the message: We have to wear masks to combat this pandemic.
But the U.S. government says not just any mask will do. The CDC says we should not wear masks with one-way vents, or valves.
A trainer of front-line medical personnel, wearing protective gear, explains why:
“Masks with valves have a one-way valve. And this doesn’t work — because what happens, and we’ve known this for a long time– when I breathe out, that valve only opens and allows that air to escape from me, which could infect you,” said Gavin MacGregor-Skinner, Global Biorisk Advisory Council.