The New York Department of Health now recommends that Big Apple residents wear two face masks instead of one to fight back against the spread of COVID-19.
‘We know that, even if the vaccine is here, the need to keep a mask on is paramount, it’s crucial. It is amazing how all the things we have learned in this crisis are perhaps the deepest, the power of a mask, ”Mayor Bill de Blasio said during a press briefing in City Hall on Thursday when the new mask accompaniment was announced.
“Even one of these paper masks makes a big difference, but what we are saying today is time to double down,” Hizzoner said.
‘Two masks are better than one. Make it double. ‘
The new guidelines of the city’s health face follow after the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated its own guidance, saying that adding more layers of material to a mask is a good way to reduce the number of respiratory drops contained in the virus that comes through the mask. ”
‘One layer strategy is to use a cloth mask that contains multiple layers of material. Another strategy is to wear two masks or a ‘double mask’, ‘says the CDC.
City Commissioner for Health, dr. Dave Chokshi, said the leading the department’s double mask is based on the guidance of the CDC.
“The most important thing remains: to wear a face mask consistently and properly so that it covers both your nose and mouth and wears it inside and out,” Chokshi said on Thursday as he spoke with de Blasio.
But, Chokshi added, “The use of two masks is more effective in stopping the spread of the virus.”
Chokshi said people should wear a cloth mask over a disposable mask if they double down – rather than wearing two disposable masks.
“Two of the throwaway masks will not improve the pace,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Chokshi suggested that 65-year-olds and older and those with underlying conditions’ should consider using a higher grade face mask such as a KN95.
The latest city data shows that the Big Apple has a coronavirus positivity rate of 7.17 percent on a seven-day average.
The data also show that 262 people were admitted to city hospitals on Tuesday with suspected COVID-19 and 57 percent of them are positive for the error.
According to the data, the city’s seven – day average number of new virus cases was 3,216.