A new study has shown that wearing two masks can almost double the effectiveness of filtering out coronavirus particles and give 20% more protection according to the results published by JAMA Intérnale Medicine.
The reason is that it eliminates any gaps where your mask doesn’t fit well to stop coronavirus droplets getting in, and not due to having a double layer of fabric.
"Surgical masks are designed to have very good filtration potential based on their material, but the way they fit our faces is not perfect," explains the lead author of the study, Emily Sickbert-Bennet.
According to the result of the study, a mask without altering the fit is generally 40% effective, but wearing two improves filtration by almost 20%. So in places that are the most exposed to infection, doubling up on your mask will increase protection for the most vulnerable.
