Almost a year ago, as the first cases of COVID-19 made their way to Europe, health authorities urged the public to avoid wearing masks and save them for healthcare workers. 

Fast-forward to a few months later when most countries, including Malta, started dealing with the second wave of infections and mask-wearing became a common practice. As in Malta, some countries made the wearing of masks mandatory.  

Now a fresh debate on mask use has emerged – should we start wearing two masks for better protection?

The wearing of two masks [commonly referred to as double-masking] involves layering two masks on top of each other. The practice began to make headlines last month after several VIPs donned two face coverings during the inauguration of US President Joe Biden.

And this week researchers from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that layering masks could block some 92.5 per cent of potentially infectious particles. 

What is double-masking?

When double-masking, a person first puts on a surgical mask, making sure it fits snuggly on the face, covering the nose, mouth and chin. A second mask, usually one made of cloth, is layered on top of this. The wearer must always ensure the second mask also fits properly and does not leave any open gaps around the face.

The CDC only studied this combination of masks, meaning it did not research double-masking with two cloth masks or two surgical masks. 

What do the Maltese authorities say?

Public health chief Charmaine Gauci told Times of Malta on Friday that the country’s advice on mask wearing is unchanged. She said the debate on double-masking came from countries where people were not making proper use of cloth masks. 

Referring to her own mask, she said: “I am wearing a cloth mask but it has three layers. If it only has one or two layers, this is not enough.” 

The local health authorities have been consistent in their advice on mask use, she said, especially since this became mandatory in all public places.

The local advice:

• Disposable surgical masks should only be used once and are to be thrown away once they become wet.
• A cloth mask must have three layers and should be washed with warm water and soap after every use. 
• Plastic face shields, commonly referred to as visors, should be avoided and if used, a surgical or cloth mask should be worn underneath.