New guidelines for face coverings are expected to make health protection and virtue signaling more costly
Americans will reportedly soon be advised to wear better-filtering and more expensive N95 and KN95 masks to curb the spread of Covid-19. Here’s what you need to know about the change.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reportedly set to update its guidelines for wearing masks amid the pandemic. It will advise that, if people can “tolerate wearing a KN95 or N95 mask all day,” they should do so, according to the Washington Post.
These face coverings are quite good at filtering particles, but are still relatively easy to wear. They are designed for professional settings like healthcare or construction works. The masks form an effective seal with a person’s face and are said to filter out at least 95% of small particles.
The difference between the N95 and KN95 masks emanates from varying standards set out by US and Chinese authorities. China requires face-fit testing of KN95 masks, unlike the US, where organizations like hospitals have their own rules in this area. The American standard also requires N95 masks to be slightly more “breathable” than KN95 masks.