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. 2021 Jan 7;115(1):74-77.
doi: 10.1093/trstmh/traa085.

Should face masks be worn to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the postlockdown phase?

Francesco Landi  1 , Emanuele Marzetti  1 , Maurizio Sanguinetti  1 , Francesca Ciciarello  1 , Marcello Tritto  1 , Francesca Benvenuto  1 , Giulia Bramato  1 , Vincenzo Brandi  1 , Angelo Carfì  1 , Emanuela D'Angelo  1 , Domenico Fusco  1 , Maria Rita Lo Monaco  1 , Anna Maria Martone  1 , Francesco Pagano  1 , Sara Rocchi  1 , Elisabetta Rota  1 , Andrea Russo  1 , Andrea Salerno  1 , Paola Cattani  1 , Simona Marchetti  1 , Roberto Bernabei On Behalf Of The Gemelli Against Covid-Geriatric Team  1
Affiliations

Should face masks be worn to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the postlockdown phase?

Francesco Landi et al. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. .

Abstract

Background: In East Asia, face masks are commonly worn to reduce viral spread. In Euope and North America, however, their use has been stigmatised for a long time, although this view has radically changed during the ongoing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. Notwithstanding this, it is still unclear whether face masks worn by COVID-19 carriers may indeed prevent viral transmission and environmental contamination. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of surgical face masks in filtering SARS-CoV-2.

Methods: Four male patients with COVID-19 were recruited for the study. Two patients wore a surgical mask for 5 h, while two others did not. The spread of the virus in the environment was evaluated through the approved Allplex 2019-nCoV assay.

Results: In the room with the two patients without surgical masks, the swab performed on the headboard and sides of the beds was positive for SARS-CoV-2 contamination. In the other room, where two patients were wearing surgical masks, all of the swabs obtained after 5 h tested negative.

Conclusions: The results of the current study add to the growing body of literature supporting the use of face masks as a measure to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2 by retaining potentially contagious droplets that can infect other people and/or contaminate surfaces. Based on the current evidence, face masks should therefore be considered a useful and low-cost device in addition to social distancing and hand hygiene during the postlockdown phase.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; health care organisation; non-pharmacological interventions; viral spread.

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Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Study outline.
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