GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Governor Whitmer says we need to wear face masks when out in the public and many wonder if this is necessary.
Remember, even if you don't have any symptoms of COVID-19 you may still have the virus. You could feel fine at 9-am and by 3-pm have a fever and a cough. If you went to the store between those hours then you had the potential of infecting up to 40 people.
There is new evidence that shows you can spread the virus just through talking. Video from the Journal of the American Medical Association vividly illustrates how simply talking, yelling or singing creates an aerosol-like spray up to three feet that can float around in the air for up to three hours.
Small rooms like classrooms, lunchrooms and other places without good ventilation are all concerns.
The CDC recommends wearing face masks, even cloth ones, because it can help reduce the amount of spray you emit when you talk.
Hopefully, this gives you a better idea as why the governor is asking us to wear face masks as we slowly re-open Michigan. You're not just protecting yourself you're protecting others.
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