Cloth face coverings, even homemade masks made of the correct material, are effective in reducing the spread of COVID-19 - for the wearer and those around them - according to a new study from Oxford’s Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science.
The report investigates the effectiveness of different face mask types and coverings, including an international comparison of policies and behavioural factors underlying usage. It is published jointly today by the British Academy and the Royal Society as part of Royal Society’s SET-C (Science in Emergencies Tasking – COVID-19) group.
Professor Melinda Mills, Director of the Leverhulme Centre and author of the study, Face masks and coverings for the general public: Behavioural knowledge, effectiveness of cloth coverings and public messaging, says, ‘The evidence is clear that people should wear masks to reduce virus transmission and protect themselves, with most countries recommending the public to wear them. Yet clear policy recommendations that the public should broadly wear them has been unclear and inconsistent in some countries such as England.’
Read the full story at the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science
