Perhaps. But the WHO is still saying that social distancing and frequent hand washing is the most effective way to prevent the virus spreading.
It’s not just governments who spent weeks telling us that masks weren’t much of a solution. Most sources seemed to share that consensus. Maybe new evidence has led to new conclusions, but in fact the WHO advice on masks still seems a bit lukewarm.
One other thing; we’re going to be picking these things out of rivers and oceans for years to come. This time next year we’ll all be watching David Attenborough untying a turtle from a giant ball of disposable masks.
WHO advice:
"The general public should wear non-medical masks where there is widespread transmission and when physical distancing is difficult, such as on public transport, in shops or in other confined or crowded environments."
Seems pretty clear to me.
The image I posted was referring to medical masks, if worn properly. Obviously that's not possible for everyone, but they do work.
"To develop the guidance, the agency consulted with a range of international experts from different countries and disciplines such as infectious diseases and epidemiology. Their review of a variety of evidence demonstrated some new findings, including that face protections, including respirators or medical masks, can result in a large reduction of transmission of coronaviruses, including COVID-19.
Recommendations, such as those regarding fabric masks, are the result of new research that the WHO commissioned that was not available a month ago. This new evidence, said Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO Technical Lead, has shown that the recommended fabric combination "can actually provide a mechanistic barrier that if someone were infected with COVID-19, you can prevent those droplets from going through and infecting someone."
Officials acknowledged that in some countries with dense populations it is difficult, if not impossible, to maintain social distancing, making masks "very important," stressed Soumya Swaminathan, WHO Chief Scientist"
