Experts weigh in on mask-free flying.
When it comes to travel, though, the question of masking has always been more complicated, and the news of the mandate possibly ending has left many people are wondering if they should keep masking up. As with many decisions in this new era of the pandemic, it comes down to a combination of factors and a personal choice.Over the last two years, we've all learned quite a bit on what face masks can do in terms of protecting your health.
N95 are considered the gold standard for COVID-19 protection, especially against more-transmissible variants like Omicron and BA.2. Their protection doesn't stop there, though."Masks don't just impact COVID-19 but other respiratory viruses as well," says Amesh Adalja, MD, FIDSA, infectious-disease physician and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security.
Another component to note is the quality of air ventilation."Planes, because of their ventilation, are a lower transmission risk than most other activities that are done mask-free," Dr. Adalja explains. A 2020from the Department of Defense found that the risk of COVID-19 transmission through the air was reduced by 99.7 percent on airplanes due to high air exchange rates and HEPA-filtered recirculation, among other factors.
Ultimately, masking up on planes and public transit is likely to become an individual decision."People should individually make risk calculations and decide if they want to wear a mask or not," Dr. Adalja says."There is no one-sized fits all answer because it is based on each individual's risk tolerance." If you do choose to mask up, he notes that
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