Face masks: do they really work?

Face masks: do they really work?

I Lead-in.

1.    Do people have to wear face masks in your city or town?

2.    Where do people have to wear face masks? Do many people wear them?

II Vocabulary focus. Match the words to their definitions. Use three words in your sentences.

1.	to get used to	A.	who deals directly with people
2.	kit	B.	less than people need
3.	to transmit	C.	closed off on all sides
4.	to reduce	D.	firm and compact
5.	enclosed	E.	tight and close to the skin
6.	close-fitting	F.	to catch something
7.	in short supply	G.	to  get to know something and no longer find it strange
8.	frontline	H.	the way threads are placed in cloth
9.	to trap	I.	special clothing
10.	tight	J.	to make something smaller
11.	weave	K.	to send or pass something

III Watch the video and fill in the gaps with the words from the list. There are some words you don’t need to use.

norm; number; spreading; wearing; pandemic; layers; hands; Asia; face mask; numerous; breath; pass; formal; infected; general public; types; five; cotton; health

European; supermarket; symptoms; possible; virus

We're all going to have to get used to wearing a 1) ____  _____. From flights abroad to your local 2) _______, masks or face coverings are now in a central bit of kit in England. So why the sudden change? Because the 3 ) _______it not yet over.

    Well, the evidence has been growing that people can transmit Covid 19 even when they don't show 4) _______. They might feel well, but they can still breathe out the virus. So it makes sense to do whatever you can to reduce the number of 5) _______particles potentially reaching other people. Social distancing, at least one meter ideally two, is by far the best way of doing that. But the World Health Organization, the Royal Society, and lots of other scientific bodies now agree that when that's not 6) _______, and you're in an enclosed space, a face covering can reduce the chances of the virus 7) _______. By how much? It’s impossible to give you one easy 8) _______; there are big differences between studies. But to give you an idea a study in the Lancet medical journal found the risk of passing on the virus when 9) _______a mask was 3 % compared to 17 % when not wearing one.

      What about different 10) _______of masks? Well, without doubt the most effective is the respirator mask. They’re close-fitting, with a good filter, and they reduce the risk of being 11) _______as well as passing on the infection. But they're in short supply and medical bodies want them reserved for frontline 12) _______workers. Next up is the surgical mask. There’s not yet much evidence that they protect the wearer, but if they're infected it does catch some of the virus in their 13) _______reducing the risk to other people nearby. But again supplies are meant for health workers. Face coverings are what the 14) ______ _______are being asked to use. They’re made of fabric usually 15) _______, and that traps the virus and the tighter the weave of the material and the greater the number of 16) _______, the better, and it's ideally going to have a wire on the bridge here to make a close fit around your nose. But this is the really important bit masks should never be shared, they should be washed after every use ideally at 60 degrees, before putting them on or taking them off you should wash your 17) _______or use hand gel. Even with a mask social distancing is still just as important.

All this will take some getting used to. Masks have been widely used in 18) _______for many years, but in some 19) _______countries they've quickly become a common sight as the virus has spread. In Spain and Italy more than four in 20) _______  people now wear them. In the UK it's just a third, but this will soon be the new 21) _______.

IV  Watch the video and mark the sentences as True (T) or False (F). Correct the false statements.

1.     The evidence has shown that people can transmit Covid 19 only when they show symptoms.

2.     People might feel well, but they can still breathe out the virus.

3.     Social distancing, at least two meters, ideally five, is the best way to stop spreading the virus.  

4.      The World Health Organization and lots of other scientific bodies now agree that when wearing a face covering is not possible, wearing gloves can reduce the chances of the virus spreading.  

5.     One of the medical journals showed that the risk of passing on the virus when wearing a mask was 3 % compared to 17 % when not wearing one.  

6.     All types of masks are equally effective.  

7.      Respirator masks reduce the risk of being infected as well as passing on the infection.

8.     Everyone can get a respirator mask in England.  

9.     Surgical mask may not protect the wearer from infection.  

10.  Surgical masks can help if people wearing them are infected and reduce the risk to other people nearby.  

11. Surgical masks are what the general public are being asked to use.  

12. Face coverings are made of fabric usually cotton, and that traps the virus.  

13.  People can share masks.  

14.  People should wash masks every week ideally at 30 degrees.  

15.  Before putting masks on or taking them off people should wash their hands or use hand gel.  

16.           With a mask social distancing is not important.  

17.          Masks have been widely used in Europe.  

18.          In Spain and Italy more than four in five people now wear face masks.    

  

V OVER TO YOU. Discuss what types of masks people wear in your country. How many people wear them? What are the rules of wearing masks in your country?