Please Wear a Mask

Mai Moua Vue

Teachers and students wear masks at SPASH

People have been wearing different styles of masks since the spring of 2020. Here are some examples. The first one is cloth masks that have a design like flowers, rainbows and animals that people like. The second one is surgical masks that have different colors of the masks. The last one is a gaiter mask that is very long. The design of the masks are the same on both sides. People know what masks look like, but do they know what the inside of the mask looks like? We need to wear masks when we are around people at school and places because masks help us to be safe and healthy. 

Masks capture the particles that people breathe out. These particles get stuck on the white stuff inside the masks.  As stated by Fleisher and his colleagues, journalists at the New York Times, “ The fibers present a dense forest that the particles must navigate as they move with the air stream.¨ Particles inside the masks move the same way as the airstream moves. The masks are very flat and there is nothing inside the masks. But these inside of the masks have fibers that look like white long lines around particles that get stuck on it. 

What happens to the particles inside the masks? There are three particles inside the masks and they are called the smallest, medium, and larger particles that move with the airstream and get stuck on the white stuff. The particles cannot go anywhere because they are captured by the white long fibers. As reported by Fleisher, “Larger particles are easier to trap. They slam straight into the fibers and get stuck when the air stream brings them within touching distance, or when their momentum causes them to veer off course.”  The large particles get captured first then the smallest particles and last come the medium particles.  The large particle is not the hard one to be captured because when they get captured by the fibers; they stay there. The smallest particle inside the masks goes in a zig-zag pattern and waits to get captured by the fibers. The medium particle is hard because they avoid being captured by the fibers.

 What happens when particles escape from the masks? According to Fleisher, “The particles that eventually reach someone else’s mask get filtered again, reducing the number that get through.” If the particles fly into the air and enter someone else’s mask then particles from the original owner’s mask are now in someone’s mask. Fortunately, the masks will decrease the number of particles. 

Some people might argue that masks don’t protect us from Covid-19. For example, people who wear masks, still might get Covid-symptoms such as sickness and cough. According to the CDC, “When you wear a mask, you protect others as well as yourself. Masks work best when everyone wears one.” Wearing a mask shows that you are saving others and also yourself by stopping Covid-19 from spreading by wearing a mask all the time in public.  They still have to follow Covid-19 rules at home when a family member gets sick. Masks work the best when everyone wears a mask to protect themselves from Covid-19; so they can be healthy and safe.

There are many different ways that can help you avoid getting Covid-19. The first way is to wear a mask when you are in public. The second way is to stay six feet away in public places such as schools and stores or places to travel to. The third way is to wash your hands with soap and hand sanitizer at school. Everyone needs to do that or else they could get Covid-symptoms. Teachers will be worried about you because they want you to be healthy and safe from Covid-19 because they also protect their family too.