Masks can limit person-to-person spread of COVID-19, doctor says

COVID-19 cases are going up across the country. At least 19 states have seen an increase in cases reported daily in the last two weeks, and six states have reported a record number, including Florida.

As states continue to reopen, more and more people are meeting face to face, whether it’s at the grocery store or in the office – but the latest research says that’s how the coronavirus is spreading.

Karen Breidert loves to sing and loves music. She’s a director and singer with “Spirit of the Gulf,” a woman’s acapella group that has been in Fort Myers for 20 years.

“We love getting together; we have women of all ages, all races, all walks of life, all religions. The thing that ties us together is our love for singing, our love for each other,” Breidert said.

But, thanks to COVID-19, practices and performances have been canceled.

“When you sing, the aerosol and the droplets are worse than ever – and the person next to you is taking in a good deep singer’s breath and it’s dangerous.”

“Singing produces far more aerosols than talking does and so we have to be really cautious of that and make the right decisions for our singers,” said Shannon Arnold, artistic director of the Fort Myers Symphonic Mastersingers.

It isn’t just singers and their audience members who are at risk.

“The latest research tells us that it is predominantly from personal contact,” Dr. Bindu S. Mayi, professor of microbiology at Nova Southeastern University’s College of Medical Sciences.

Mayi said that even simple actions like laughing or enunciating certain words help the virus spread, whether that’s at work, a bar or restaurant, or the gym.

That’s why barriers like masks can work, she said, and it’s a lesson we can learn from Taiwan.

“They actually never shut down. The kids went to school and they all wore masks. At lunchtime, these three-sided plastic dividers would go up, the kids would take off their masks, eat their lunch, and put their masks back on. And their cases are so few, their deaths the last time I looked was seven.”

While barriers keep local artists from getting together, as they say, the show must go on.

“There are things we can still work on to become good singers. We take that very seriously even though we’re sitting home alone,” Breidert said.

“Hopefully someday we’ll be out there singing again.”

As they say, the show must go on.

“We do it obviously for ourselves and the singers, but we also do it for the people who need the music in their lives,” Arnold said.

Mayi said one way to make your cloth mask more effective is to add another layer. She said research shows that using nylon, like from a stocking, under your mask helps minimize leakage on the sides.

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