BBC Learnings · Section 7

Should we wear a face mask

With the outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic, people in many countries around the world

Level: C1 · 108 sentences

Transcript

  1. With the outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic,
  2. people in many countries around the world
  3. have started wearing face masks to protect both themselves
  4. and others they come into contact with.
  5. In this programme, we'll be asking whether wearing masks
  6. in public can help prevent the spread of coronavirus in the community.
  7. Face masks have long been popular in some Asian countries,
  8. but with the spread of Covid-19,
  9. they're increasingly being seen in other parts of the world too.
  10. Wearing a protective mask or face covering is nothing new.
  11. Medical masks have a long history from the plagues
  12. of medieval Europe to 19th century outbreaks
  13. of cholera in the United States.
  14. But when did they start to be commonly used?
  15. That's my question for today.
  16. When and where were face masks first widely used?
  17. Was it... a 1855 in Vienna,
  18. b 1905 in Chicago, or c 1955 in London?
  19. Well, you mentioned cholera outbreaks in the US, Rob,
  20. so I'll say b 1905 in Chicago.
  21. Right, Sam. Well, we'll find out later if you were right.
  22. Now, face masks may inspire confidence...
  23. But what is the evidence that they actually protect
  24. the wearer from contracting the virus
  25. or prevent infected people from spreading the virus to others?
  26. Professor Robert West has conducted a review
  27. of over 20 studies looking into the evidence.
  28. Here he is speaking to the BBC World Service programme, Health Check.
  29. the evidence is equivocal on it.
  30. It doesn't really tell you anything yet.
  31. I mean, hopefully that will change.
  32. So we're thrown back on sort of first principles and basics.
  33. And this is why, as in so many other areas of public health,
  34. you get such a heated debate
  35. because people are really relying on their opinion on things.
  36. And you will have one group who say, well,
  37. it stands to reason, the good old stands to reason argument,
  38. which is obviously if you've got
  39. a covering in front of your face
  40. and you're speaking or coughing into that covering,
  41. it's going to trap quite a lot of the virus
  42. on the droplets that you'll be emitting.
  43. So far, the evidence over whether face masks
  44. are helpful or harmful is equivocal,
  45. difficult to interpret because it seems
  46. to have two opposite or contradictory meanings.
  47. Based on current evidence, Professor West feels we cannot
  48. say whether mask wearing is beneficial.
  49. Some evidence suggests that wearing masks can prevent the disease
  50. spreading and some suggest the opposite.
  51. There may be reasons why wearing
  52. masks could actually increase the spread of coronavirus.
  53. However, for some people, it stands
  54. to reason that masks are beneficial,
  55. meaning it is obviously true from the facts.
  56. Actually, the evidence is far from obvious,
  57. but everyone has an opinion on the issue
  58. and after weeks of stressful lockdown,
  59. This can lead to heated debate,
  60. discussion or argument in which people become angry and excited.
  61. Up until recently, the World Health Organisation said
  62. there were two groups who definitely should wear masks –
  63. people showing symptoms of the virus and their carers.
  64. But that left the problem of people
  65. who have the virus without knowing
  66. it and maybe unintentionally emitting it –
  67. sending something out into the air,
  68. for example a noise or smell or in this case coronavirus.
  69. In June, the WHO advice changed.
  70. Now they say masks should be worn
  71. in public where social distancing measures are not possible.
  72. But the advantages of wearing masks might be outweighed
  73. by other considerations, as Professor West explains.
  74. It could also have unfortunate negative consequences in terms
  75. of the sort of mask shaming
  76. that people feel compelled to wear masks
  77. in situations where it's actually not
  78. helpful and may be harmful because it's expected of them
  79. and they feel that they would be judged if they didn't.
  80. But I think in addition to that, one of the problems
  81. we have is that masks can potentially
  82. create a false sense of security.
  83. One negative effect is the practice of mask shaming –
  84. criticising or humiliating someone for not wearing a face covering.
  85. Another problem is that wearing masks
  86. might create a false sense of security –
  87. a feeling of being safer than you really are.
  88. Is that what happened in 1905, Rob?
  89. Oh yes, today's quiz question.
  90. I asked you when face masks were first widely used.
  91. And I said b 1905 in Chicago.
  92. Well done, Sam. You were absolutely right.
  93. It was 1905 in Chicago when Dr Alice Hamilton
  94. first noticed that carers wearing masks to treat
  95. scarlet fever patients did not get sick.
  96. OK, interesting. So today we've been discussing whether wearing masks
  97. helps prevent infected people emitting or sending out coronavirus.
  98. Well, so far the evidence is equivocal – unclear because it seems contradictory.
  99. In other words, we can't say either way for certain.
  100. But for some, it stands to reason –
  101. meaning it's obviously true that mask wearing is a good idea.
  102. The disagreement over wearing face coverings has started heated debate.
  103. That's discussion which becomes angry or excited.
  104. And this in turn has led to incidents of mask shaming,
  105. criticising or mocking people for not wearing a face mask.
  106. A final drawback is that masks
  107. might give the wearer a false sense of security.
  108. That's belief that they are safe when they're not.