By now, the world has grown accustomed to having a face mask on hand when leaving the house to go to work or the grocery store.
Italy took it a step further by making it mandatory to wear face masks or face coverings outdoors nationwide. It is the country’s latest effort to curb the spread of coronavirus, where new infections have jumped yet again.
According to an epidemiologist at the University of Ottawa, it is likely a “game theory approach” or the science of strategy. If you see people wearing a face mask more often, you are more likely to normalize it in your life and more likely to signal to other people that you are taking it seriously and people feel safer.
Effectiveness of face masks
The science surrounding masks is clear. Based on studies, it shows they can help save lives in various ways, such as by reducing the chances of both transmitting and catching the virus and by minimizing the severity of illness if people become infected.
When it comes to the requirements on wearing a face mask in Canada, the rules vary by province and region, but most of the emphasis has been on mask-wearing indoors and when distancing could not be observed.
In Italy, the new mask mandate required Italians to wear face masks at all times outdoors, unless they can guarantee they can be completely isolated from anyone other than family. It effectively makes them obligatory in all urban and semi-urban settings, with exemptions for eating in restaurants and bars.
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Learn how to stay safe by enrolling in a mask fitting test which is a requirement for many workplaces and school admissions or the available masks for sale by visiting our face mask sale page.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-mask/art-20485449
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html