Does my mask still help if no one else is wearing one? California says don’t toss it yet

As California lifts its indoor mask mandate for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, the questions on mask effectiveness are still top-of-mind.

And this time they’re worded a little differently:

How effective is my mask if no one else is wearing one?

If there’s no mandate, should I still wear one?

First thing’s first: Masks are still required in some settings across California — including on public transit — and the state is still strongly recommending you keep your mask handy, regardless of vaccination status.

Is my mask effective?

California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said earlier this month that mask effectiveness depends on what type of face covering you wear, how often you wear it and how well it fits your face.

“As a tool, masks do what we hope they would do....we know that this is a tool and like every tool you need to use it prudently and you need to use it at certain times more than others,” said Ghaly during a California Department of Public Health briefing on Feb. 14.

COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are declining across the state, according to the California Department of Public Health.

“It’s important to know that we’re moving just from a requirement to a strong recommendation, not to a recommendation and not that masks are optional,” Ghaly said.

But what if no one else is wearing one?

“Wearing a mask when others are not does provide some level of personal protection,” Dr. Leonard J. Marcus, the founding director of the Program for Health Care Negotiation and Conflict Resolution at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told McClatchy News.

But “that protection is less than when everyone is wearing a mask.”

The community benefit of masking for COVID-19 is due to the combination of “source control and filtration for wearer protection,” according to the CDC. In other words, reducing the spread.

“Individual prevention benefit increases with increasing numbers of people using masks consistently and correctly,” the CDC wrote.

WHAT TYPE OF MASK SHOULD I WEAR?

According to a recent California study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and conducted by the CDPH, Californians that wore at least a cloth mask in indoor public settings had 56% lower odds of contracting COVID-19. Those who wore a surgical mask were 66% less likely to get the virus

According to the CDC, N95 and KN95 respirators are people’s best protection from COVID-19 and the study confirms it.

Californians that wore an N95 or KN95 mask were 83% less likely to get the virus.

“Wearing a mask in settings where there may be exposure to COVID-19 remains an important strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the CDPH said. “It will help prevent both you and others from getting COVID-19. This is important with more easily transmitted variants of COVID-19.”

The CDPH said the study “was done under real world conditions and did not distinguish whether or not others in the setting were wearing masks.”

Ghaly’s other suggestions: avoid large gatherings, improve indoor ventilation, wash your hands and get vaccinated.

HOW SHOULD MY MASK FIT?

To protect yourself from COVID-19, the CDC recommends not only wearing the most protective mask you can, but one that covers your nose, mouth and chin and fits snugly against the side of your face and doesn’t have gaps.

If a mask is a good fit, you will feel warm air come through the front of the mask and may be able to see the mask material move in and out with each breath.

WHAT IF I CAN’T FIND A KN95 OR N95 MASK?

Free government issued masks continue to make their way to retail pharmacies across California. To get one near you, visit the CDC’s Federal Retail Pharmacy Program page.

In the meantime, here are several ways to make your cloth or surgical mask fit you better, according to the CDC:

• Wear a surgical mask underneath and a cloth mask on top.
• Combine either a cloth mask or a surgical mask with a filter or brace knot. Tuck the ear loops of a three-ply mask where they join the edge of the mask.
• Fold and tuck unneeded materials under the edges of your surgical mask.
• Use masks that attach behind the neck and head with either an elastic band or ties.

WHERE AM I REQUIRED TO WEAR A MASK?

Regardless of your vaccination status, you must wear a mask in the following places:

• high transmission settings like public transit
• emergency shelters
• health care settings
• correctional facilities
• homeless shelters
• long-term care facilities

McClatchy’s Julia Marnin contributed reporting.

This story was originally published February 15, 2022 at 1:00 PM with the headline "Does my mask still help if no one else is wearing one? California says don’t toss it yet."