Wearing a mask is essential during this pandemic; now, let’s think about wearing them most effectively. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), we should be changing our masks every four hours. 

Using the same mask for longer than that can cause it to become wet, which makes it harder to breathe, and is less efficient at filtering. Not to mention, a wet or damp mask would become very uncomfortable to wear, harbor fungus and bacteria, and could even fall apart. 

WJPS senior Daniela Santamaria said, “The problem can be easily fixed by simply bringing extra masks to school or work, so we should all contribute.”

WJPS senior Alvin Zeng said, “We should be changing our masks constantly because it would be safer and protect us from germs getting built up from wearing the same mask.”

To protect yourself and others against COVID-19, especially during the cold weather, we should all be cautious of the issue and bring extra masks when leaving the house. 

“Medical masks on a red, yellow and green background” by wuestenigel is licensed under CC BY 2.0