Posted on 12/17/2021 3:46:56 PM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
The CEO of a major airline suggested during a congressional hearing this week that face masks provide little value on planes — a claim that was quickly amplified online.
Citing high-quality filtration systems aboard planes, Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly stated that “masks don’t add much, if anything, in the air cabin environment.”
But experts strongly disagree. Here are the facts.
CLAIM: Mask-wearing on planes is unnecessary because advanced air filtration systems sufficiently reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
THE FACTS: While it’s true that the common air filtration and distribution systems used in modern aircraft are highly effective at reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission among passengers, masks add another layer of protection for air travelers, experts told The Associated Press.
While HEPA filtration systems are highly effective at reducing the transmission of viruses, they do not completely eliminate risk aboard flights, according to Linsey Marr, an aerosol scientist at Virginia Tech.
Leonard J. Marcus, director of the Aviation Public Health Initiative at Harvard University, agreed.
“Yes, the ventilation system on airplanes are incredible. They’re comparable with what you might find in an operating room,” he said. But “it is the multiple layers, it’s not one thing alone.”
The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO, a union representing some 50,000 flight attendants, has also called masks a “key component” of safety on flights, noting that not all planes have HEPA filtration systems.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
I suggest not breathing at all on the plane. 100% effective in preventing spread of covid -19.
All I see here are opinions. No one has said they have run valid tests that show how much “improvement” there is in an airplane by wearing a mask. These people should be fired for lack of actual scientific proof.
My guess is that airplanes with HEPA filters provide cleaner air than the homes of most people. So now we all have to wear masks at home???
Unless your mask is a hepa filter itself, it does nothing to help against germs
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