Properly wearing your mask means wearing it over your nose
Montreal has now entered the orange zone* due to the growing number of daily Covid-19 cases. Things may quickly escalate from here with Montreal possibly entering the red zone very soon, which would mean another lockdown. These next few weeks are crucial, which is why it’s important, now more than ever, to not only wear a mask, but to wear one properly.
Lately, it is very common to see people wearing face coverings under their mouths, hanging from the ear, and, the most popular, wearing it under the nose. Wearing a mask properly includes, not only covering your mouth, but covering your nose too.
NBC News covered a story about a study conducted by Cell Journal, which publishes research journals about disciplines within the life of science. This specific study, however, speaks of the effectiveness of wearing your mask over your nose. The study conducted states that it’s only normal for people to feel uncomfortable covering their nose, as it’s so much easier for the human body to breathe through the nose. However, the research also tells us that you are significantly more likely to become infected with a virus, or to transmit one, through the nasal passageway than through the throat. This means that, every time you exhale through the nose without a proper face covering on, you are creating a greater concentration of infectious aerosol, putting the people around you at risk
The University of North Carolina also conducted its own study, and compared how the coronavirus infects different cells in the respiratory tract. They concluded that the cells in the nose were the easiest to infect, followed by the throat and then the lungs. They called the nose “the first line of defense” in regard to catching the coronavirus, or even the common cold.
So, what do you do when, after all this, you still don’t want to wear your mask over your nose? The answer is simple: don’t go out. If you must go out in an environment where social distancing is not possible, then you should be wearing your mask properly, over your nose. If you aren’t, it’s as though you’re not wearing one at all.
Glasses fogging up? Put the mask closer to your eyes and then place your glasses over your mask. On a phone call? The person on the other end can still hear you. There is literally no justifiable excuse.
It is important in these dangerous times to be considerate of others who are at a high risk of catching the virus, and to just look out for your community in general. You may feel like this is a hopeless situation and that you cannot help in any way, but you actually can. Be a decent human being and wear your mask over your nose!
By Isabella Del Grosso
* at the time of writing this article. We have since, as you are all well aware, entered the red zone, making this article all the more pertinent. (Copy editor’s note)
