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Return of the outdoor mask: What does the scientific community propose?
The dates of December 2021 symbolized the strong point of the return of “relative normality” after the COVID-19 pandemic. New parties that painted a different contrast to what was experienced in the course of 2020.
However, the discovery and subsequent spread of the omicron variant has alerted the world and dusted off old biosecurity measures.
The mandatory use of outdoor masks is back
At the beginning of the pandemic, the prevailing uncertainty was imperative due to the lack of knowledge about the virus. The rapid spread of it, as well as the misinformation and yellowishness imparted on social networks or other media, clouded scientific judgment.
Over time, and more than a year later, the health community established some official parameters about the transmissibility of the coronavirus.
Thanks to this, some measures such as the disinfection of sidewalks, walls or certain areas, as well as the use of a mask in open public spaces, were rejected.
With the emergence of the omicron variant, the panorama seems to stagnate and, at the same time, take on aspects of the past. The return of the mandatory outdoor mask is a measure that is being evaluated and implemented in some European countries, especially in Spain.
In essence, this is an ad that is viewed as unpopular, due to the supporting scientific evidence.
Even so, a variety of official governments have determined the need to cling to the old-fashioned as a kind of "prevention."
Is the use of masks really effective in public spaces?
From the starting point of the pandemic, there are many conclusive scientific studies and investigations of different kinds. Hundreds of them portray the low transmissibility capacity of the virus in open spaces.
As long as distances are kept and trying some basic hygiene methods, contagion is likely in just 0.1% of cases.
Therefore, the effectiveness of the mask in these areas is implausible compared to preliminary studies.
Ireland and China, one of those many examples
The Center for Health Protection and Surveillance in Ireland promoted a valuable monograph on outdoor coronavirus infections.
Within it, it is reflected that, of more than 230 thousand cases, only 262 are the product of infections in open spaces.
All this in the order of the first 12 months of the pandemic. For its part, China paid special attention to this kind of transmission in the period between January and May 2020.
Of the 1,245 positives in these circumstances, only two of them were found to result from exposure to free environments.
A similar survey was conducted in Wuhan, where out of 7,000 individuals, only one person was able to look.
Scientific evidence is substantial in other countries, with conclusions similar to the two examples mentioned.
Even so, organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) continue to emphasize social distancing and the development of large conglomerates.
Therefore, it does not mean that the mask lost its value entirely, only that in public spaces it has no relevance. With a rate of less than 0.1% of infections, the return to its mandatory use is a drastic and logical rule.
In the same way, it should be noted that world epidemiology invites and promotes the reminder of the correct wearing of the mask.
It is also a fact that the virus, and today the omicron variant, has a rapid and improved dispersion in the air.
As a result, the mask seems beneficial for the vulnerable population or in public areas, but with high attendance. Based on these details, the backing of the mask acquires more depth in this regard.
So what is this decision based on?
A wide range of factors can be seen in cementing such a decision on the part of the world's governments. But, the most obvious of all, is the arrival of the holidays and the celebration of them.
Although vaccination is a resounding success in the main countries of the world, the omicron variant has created a new uncertainty.
In addition to the fact of flexibility in certain measures to prevent contagions, society has adopted a more sober and relaxed compartment.
Ómicron has unleashed fear in different important governments, who are already experiencing a sixth wave of infections.
Only in Spain was a new record of positives for coronavirus recently reached, surpassing the barrier of 70 thousand infected in a period of 24 hours.
The United States also joins the decision
Spain and other European countries are not the only ones to suffer the consequences of the Christmas season and the arrival of omicron. In North America, specifically in the United States, some states have indoctrinated this measure.
Although the use of the mask will be mandatory in closed public spaces, it also symbolizes a delay towards what was thought obsolete. California, Hawaii, New York, Washington, Oregon, among others, are the federal entities pigeonholed in the decree.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US suspended this modality of wearing the mask between May and June. But the advent of the sixth wave of infections, the delta variant and now omicron, has completely dismissed that fact.
Reinforcements in vaccination
Herd immunity is a goal that, over time, is being achieved in large countries around the globe. The outdoor mask decision is designed to complement one fact: speeding up the immunization process.
Regardless of the lack of effectiveness supported by science, it is called to be a circumstance that prevents a percentage of infections. At the same time, it will allow more time for the implementation of new vaccination centers.
And not only that, but also to identify those people who have not been vaccinated for some particular reason or another.
Hand in hand with innovative plans and strategies, relative normality will cease to be a utopia in the medium term. Likewise, it will faithfully contribute to reducing the incidence of the appearance of other variants of the coronavirus.
