Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Jun 20, 2025

You don't always have to wear a mask outside. Experts share 'really simple' ways to know when you need one and when you don't.

You don't always have to wear a mask outside. Experts share 'really simple' ways to know when you need one and when you don't.

It's not hard to figure out when to wear a mask outside, so "be informed and empowered to make the right decision" for yourself, experts say.

Don Milton is as serious as they come about wearing masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19 from person to person.

As one of the world's leading experts on how viruses spread through the air, it makes sense that he's adopted a conservative stance during the pandemic — he sports an N95 (the "gold standard" for masks) on his trips to the grocery store, for example.

But these days, when Milton goes for a bike ride around College Park and the University of Maryland, where he is a professor of environmental health and medicine, his mask remains out of sight. It's tucked into a pocket in the back of his cycling jersey.

He doesn't worry much about the fact that his strenuous exercise might be generating lots of aerosols (very light, floating particles) in the fresh air around him, because he's riding solo. And besides, he knows that outdoors, there is infinite ventilation, in case someone were to ever ride up behind him.

"Hopefully, you can educate people, and we can do things that make sense," he said.

Milton's own rule for outdoor mask-wearing is simple and clear: "In a place where you might be close to other people, or where you might run into somebody you know and you might stop and want to talk to them for a while and one of you is going to be up or down wind of the other person, then you should probably have a mask on," he told Insider.

Though Milton knows well that the risk of transmitting the virus outside is far lower than indoors, he stresses it's still not zero.

"Barbecues last summer were showing up in the Maryland contact tracing data as a risk, something that people were reporting having done that were infected," he said. "If you're going to be close to other people outdoors and everybody is not vaccinated, then you certainly need to be wearing masks."

Public health experts agree: there are simple rules for when we need to wear a mask outside and when we don't
A restaurant during the COVID-19 pandemic.


Leana Wen, an emergency physician and public health professor at George Washington University, spoke to Insider about her own outdoor masking rule while out on an evening walk, unmasked.

"I think we can make this really simple," Wen said. "If you are outdoors and you can keep at least six feet away from others, you don't need to wear a mask."

Wen and Milton are joining a growing number of public health experts around the globe in saying: outdoor mask mandates have never made much sense, and only serve to erode trust and respect for public health precautions.

Muge Cevik, an infectious disease researcher and science communicator at the University of St Andrews, told Insider that fewer than one in ten reported COVID-19 cases involve outdoor transmission, "and those are typically associated with prolonged close interactions, or settings where people mix both indoors and outdoors," she said in an email.

"People make complex decisions regarding risks every day and should be informed and empowered to make the right decision for themselves for outdoor masks," she added.



"People have common sense, and we don't need for laws to be so overly broad," Wen said. "What Israel has done in lifting the mask mandates after a large number of people have been vaccinated and the number of infections is much lower, I think that's probably where we will end up going."

When Wen spots a neighbor up the street, she either quickly puts her mask on, or she crosses the street. This is a simple "common courtesy" during a pandemic, she says.

"If there is a chance that you could be within six feet of others, you should bring a mask with you, and wear that mask if you cannot keep physical distancing."

Comments

mike 4 year ago
Took them very long to find out.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
Trump to Iran: Make a Deal — Sign or Die
Operation "Like a Lion": Israel Strikes Iran in Unprecedented Offensive
Israel Launches 'Operation Rising Lion' Targeting Iranian Nuclear and Military Sites
Israeli Forces Intercept Gaza-Bound Aid Vessel Carrying Greta Thunberg
IMF Warns of Severe Global Trade War Impacts on Emerging Markets
Syria to Reconnect to Global Economy After 14 Years of Isolation
Saudi Arabia Faces Uncertainty Over Succession After Mohammed bin Salman
Israel Confirms Arming Gaza Clan to Counter Hamas Influence
Majority of French Voters View Macron's Presidency as a Failure
U.S. Reduces Military Presence in Syria
Trump Demands Iran End All Uranium Enrichment in Nuclear Talks
Iran Warns Europe Against Politicizing UN Nuclear Report
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
Head of Gaza Aid Group Resigns Amid Humanitarian Concerns
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
×