Research Guides: Pandemic Resources for Grace: Face Coverings

CDC - Face Masks

CDC - Use of Cloth Face Coverings to Help Slow the Spread of COVID-19
Recommendation Regarding the Use of Cloth Face Coverings, Especially in Areas of Significant Community-Based Transmission
From recent studies we know that a significant portion of individuals with coronavirus lack symptoms (“asymptomatic”) and that even those who eventually develop symptoms (“pre-symptomatic”) can transmit the virus to others before showing symptoms. 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.

WHO - Advice on the use of masks in the context of COVID-19. April 6, 2020
This document provides advice on the use of masks in communities, during home care, and in health care settings in areas that have reported cases of COVID-19. It is intended for individuals in the community, public health and infection prevention and control (IPC) professionals, health care managers, health care workers (HCWs), and community health workers. It will be revised as more data become available.

Eikenberry, Steffen E., et al. “To Mask or Not to Mask: Modeling the Potential for Face Mask Use by the General Public to Curtail the COVID-19 Pandemic.” In Infect Dis Model. 2020 Apr 21;5:293-308. doi: 10.1016/j.idm.2020.04.001
Results suggest use of face masks by the general public is potentially of high value in curtailing community transmission and the burden of the pandemic. The community-wide benefits are likely to be greatest when face masks are used in conjunction with other non-pharmaceutical practices (such as social-distancing), and when adoption is nearly universal (nation-wide) and compliance is high.
Zhai, Zhiqiang. “Facial Mask: A Necessity to Beat COVID-19.” Building and Environment 175 (May 15, 2020): 106827. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.106827
Lessons learned the hard way in China have been disregarded in a majority of hard-hit countries globally, such as the enforcement of using facial masks. Authorities of most developed countries make two primary suggestions to the general public: keeping social distance and washing hands.
Neither WHO nor US CDC encourage the usage of facial masks for the general public. The reasoning can be fivefold and is addressed here.
Overall, it is not a reasonable and responsible practice to discourage the use of facial masks based on resource availability.