SAGE member Dr Susan Hopkins said last night that people should ideally wear masks made up of three layers to get the best protection.
Hopkins was asked for her opinion on the growing US trend of wearing more than one facemask. She said a UK specialist committee was considering whether the government should update the advice and recommend the wearing of a cloth mask on top of a surgical mask.
Hopkins was in Downing Street last night speaking alongside UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock. She said:
“I think what we know is that the more layers you have the better. And so that we recommend at least two layers in the UK and ideally three layers in a mask, and that is really important to reduce the viral transmission, both from you to others and from others to you.”
The US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention study showed that transmission of the virus can be reduced by up to 96.5 per cent if both an infected and uninfected person wear a tightly fitting face covering.
The research concluded that the best way to stop the spread is to wear a cloth mask on top of a surgical mask or to wear a surgical mask on its own but tie the straps where they meet the mask to ensure there are no gaps.
This is the same CDC that last month recommended placing a sleeve made of sheer nylon hosiery material around the neck and pulling it up over either a cloth or medical procedure mask. Yes, America’s best and brightest have recommended that people go about wearing a pair of tights on their face.
They’ll do it here. The UK has capitulated. If SAGE said that the bacteria in your grandfathers unwashed underpants was shown to be effective against coronavirus, people would go around wearing grandpas boxers over their mouths. We’re screwed.
