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- In addition to social distancing, one of the best protections against COVID-19 is to wear a properly fitting mask.
- If you only have a single layer or loose-fitting mask, it can be smart to wear two at the same time.
- To double up, wear one cloth mask over another, or wear a cloth mask over a surgical mask.
- This article was medically reviewed by Aimee Desrosiers, PA-C, MS, MPH, a practicing infectious disease physician in Washington, DC.
The CDC strongly recommends (and has even mandated) the wearing of masks in public, saying it is essential to slow the spread of COVID-19. But as more is learned about the pandemic and the transmission of the virus, health officials have begun to advocate not just wearing one mask, but wearing two.
The most remarkable advice for double masking comes from Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the country’s top infectious disease specialist, said it is common sense to think two masks are better than one. If you’ve watched the 2021 presidential inauguration, you’ve likely seen plenty of examples of double masking, including poet Amanda Gorman’s fashion-forward combo.
Why double masking can be a smart decision
Experts have long advised that when it comes to masks, more coats are better – provided you can still breathe properly. But in early 2021, something important changed.
“You hear more about double masking in the media and from health professionals because it’s new [COVID-19] variants are more easily transmissible, and with the level of infection we currently have, any kind of additional protection could be helpful, “Edgar Sanchez, MD, an infectious diseases physician at Orlando Health, told Insider.
That said, many public health experts don’t wear two masks themselves, as reported by Hilary Brueck to Insider. While experts say that double masking could theoretically be useful in general, there are some things that are far more important than double masking.
“Getting more people to wear just one mask is more important than having one person wear two masks,” said Dr. Sanchez. This may be part of why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) haven’t officially changed their guidelines to recommend double masking.
Second, a good-quality, well-fitting and multi-layered mask is better than wearing two ill-fitting masks. Your mask should fit snugly over your nose and sit snugly against your cheeks and chin with no gaps. If a mask is causing your glasses or sunglasses to fog up, that’s actually a sign that it doesn’t fit properly and that droplets of breathing can escape out, Dr. Abe Malkin, the founder and medical director of Concierge MD LA, told Insider.
Masks with adjustable nosepieces can also sometimes help create a better fit, and masks with two (or preferably three) layers of tightly woven fabric are best at filtering out virus particles. According to the CDC, this means that when held up to the light, these masks do not transmit light.
Still two masks on can extra protection, and there are some situations that public health experts and infectious disease doctors recommend it.
To help, I consulted some doctors about how to use a double mask and what are the best base coat and top coat masks to do that. I also provided some insight into the best practices for double masking and how to apply them properly.