Should You Wear a Mask Outdoors?
Masks protect us from the coronavirus both indoors and outdoors. But do you really need an outdoor mask? In some cases, you can go with a naked face, but just in case, you should still have a mask in your pocket. Let’s talk about the factors to consider when deciding whether to use a mask outdoors. (If in doubt, wear it anyway.)
Outside air dilutes the virus
One of the concerns with the indoor environment is that some of the respiratory droplets that the virus can carry are tiny . Indoors, the air containing these droplets has nowhere else to go. This is why, for example, dining outdoors makes more sense than dining indoors, for example. The risk is not zero; the backyard parties were definitely super-spreading events and very likely there was a certain Rose Garden political event .
Many factors influence whether an interaction will increase or decrease the risk of COVID, and being outdoors usually reduces the risk .
Short meetings – low risk
Then we have to think about what you are doing outdoors. Given this Rose Garden event, should you wear a mask if you know you’re going to be around other people for hours, shaking hands and hugging? Absolutely. In fact, you probably shouldn’t go at all. This is doubly so if you know that other guests have so far neglected security measures.
But overtaking someone while you are jogging is a different scenario. To understand this more intuitively, it might make sense to think of someone who has bad breath or who has recently smoked. Will the smell be breathtaking if you find yourself in the same park with several of these people? Or will you just smell the light as they pass you along the trail?
Very short encounters, such as someone passing while jogging or cycling past them, may not be zero risk, but they are very small. “Any short-term, transient exposure is a low risk, but such exposures can accumulate over time, ” airlift expert Linsey Marr told the South China Morning Post . Wearing a mask makes sense if you meet a lot of people on the street. It’s also a smart precaution even if you don’t.
Decide on the basis of the circumstances
It makes sense to think about the different security levels and use a mask as one of them. If you are outdoors the exposure time is short and people are almost always more than six feet away, the mask does not offer much protection. If you meet a lot of people – for example, on a busy city street – a mask is a useful layer of security that should be turned on.
I don’t wear a mask when walking and jogging in the fresh air, but that’s because I know I’m not likely to come within six feet or even ten feet of anyone else. I walk along a quiet neighboring street where I rarely pass by anyone and I can cross the street if I do so. I run along paths where there is often only one person.
But since I prefer jogging without a mask, I have given up my favorite treadmill – one that I would probably overtake at least one or two people every minute. (If I was jogging there, I would definitely wear a mask; but since most other people along the way don’t have masks, it doesn’t seem like the risk is worth it.)
There is no official answer as to whether to wear a mask outdoors. The CDC recommends that if you are unable to stand while wearing a mask during training, you should move your training outdoors. The University of Maryland medical system states that masks are not needed if you are alone outside, but if you are running on the sidewalk, you should disguise yourself. If your city or state has guidelines for when to wear a mask outdoors, follow them. If not, take the above factors into account and wear a mask anyway.