Why will a face mask still protect you even if nobody else is wearing one?
For people with compromised immune systems or children too young to be vaccinated, the end of the mask mandate for planes, trains and busses could be unnerving. That’s because experts say masks work best when everyone around you is wearing one.
When an infected person wears a high-quality mask, a large percentage of the infectious particles they exhale are caught by their mask. The few that do escape are stopped by the masks of the people around them.
According to the New York Times, there is research that shows masks still protect the wearer even if people around them are not wearing one.
But health experts say the quality of the mask is important.
- N95s and KN95s provide the best protection
- surgical masks offer some protection
- cloth masks do not perform as well against the highly contagious omicron variant
It also depends on where you are. On a plane, the cabin air is passed through high-efficiency hepa filters, reducing risk. But during boarding and deplaning, that air circulation may be turned off, increasing risk.
Meanwhile on buses, you often can’t open windows and can’t socially distance, so experts recommend being cautious.
In all of these travel scenarios, the biggest recommendation is to use common sense.