New CDC recommendations for face coverings

The CDC initially refused to recommend face coverings as a preventative measure for the coronavirus. Unless you were showing symptoms or caring for someone showing symptoms, masks were basically not recommended. But the CDC has recently changed their stance on this and now there are new guidelines.

The CDC changed their stance based on new evidence that came out. One of the most surprising bits of evidence to come out is that a large percentage of carriers can be asymptomatic and a lot of people who will eventually develop symptoms can spread the disease well before they actually develop symptoms.

Combine that with the fact that virus particles can be transmitted by things like sneezing, coughing, and even speaking or breathing along with the reality that virus particles can live on substances for several days at a time, and you can see how there became a real need to limit the expulsion of virus particles.

This led to the new recommendation which states:

 In light of this new evidence, CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.

The new recommendations are voluntary so nobody will be required to wear a mask as of right now — at least not required by the federal government. We have seen some cities actually require citizens to wear face coverings and subject them to fines or even jail time.

The CDC wants to stress that wearing a face covering does not substitute for social distancing or washing your hands. Those two things are much more important and wearing a mask will act more as a supplement to those mitigation techniques.

The CDC also stresses that they do not recommend you wearing N95 masks or surgical masks which are in need by medical personnel. 

I think the mass public wearing masks will be significant also for the viral dose of the coronavirus. With fewer particles being exhaled, I think it follows that there will be lower concentrations of the virus which could mean more mild virus infections. Again, I’m not the expert here but based on some of my research it seems like that could very well play out.