Population-wide use of face masks combined with lockdowns could help prevent?further waves of?COVID-19, claims a new study as reported by?Reuters.
The research was led by scientists at Britain¡¯s Cambridge and Greenwich Universities and suggests lockdowns alone will not stop the resurgence of COVID-19. It says that even homemade masks masks can have a significant effect on reducing transmission rates if enough people use them in public.
¡°Our analyses support the immediate and universal adoption of facemasks by the public,¡± said Richard Stutt, who co-led the study at Cambridge.
The findings showed that if population-wide masks will be used along with social distancing and lockdown measures, there could be ¡°an acceptable way of managing the pandemic and re-opening economic activity¡± before a vaccine comes into play.
The study¡¯s findings were published in the ¡°Proceedings of the Royal Society A¡± scientific journal.
On Friday, the World Health Organisation updated its guidance and recommended that every government should ask citizens to wear face masks in public areas, especially where there is a risk to reduce the spread of the infection.
¡°We have little to lose from the widespread adoption of face masks, but the gains could be significant,¡± said Renata Retkute, who co-led the study.