1. Myth: Medical conditions prevent many people from wearing a mask in public
Few medical conditions would prevent someone from wearing a mask, Ashton said.
While people with mental health conditions, such as post traumatic stress syndrome or severe claustrophobia might have psychological reasons for not wearing a mask, in general, “If someone is well enough to be out in public, they are well enough to put some kind of face covering or mask on,” Ashton said.
2. Myth: Masks cut off your oxygen to the point that they make you sick
“Masks are not air tight,” Ashton pointed out, adding that oxygen and carbon dioxide molecules are small enough to easily pass through a face covering.
If masks made it impossible to breath, then “any surgeon, any nurse, any lab technician, any person who works in a job that requires them to wear a mask would be passing out,” Ashton said.
“Let’s try to keep it to fact, not fiction,” she added.
3. Myth: Wearing a mask eliminates the need for social distancing
False, once again. “To be crystal clear, it’s not either a mask or 6 feet apart. It’s both,” Ashton said. “That’s for everyone else’s protection and it may be for your protection as well.”
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