• Francesco Landi, Emanuele Marzetti, Maurizio Sanguinetti, Francesca Ciciarello, Marcello Tritto, Francesca Benvenuto, Giulia Bramato, Vincenzo Brandi, Angelo Carfì, Emanuela D'Angelo, Domenico Fusco, Maria Rita Lo Monaco, Anna Maria Martone, Francesco Pagano, Sara Rocchi, Elisabetta Rota, Andrea Russo, Andrea Salerno, Paola Cattani, Simona Marchetti, and Roberto Bernabei On Behalf Of The Gemelli Against Covid-Geriatric Team.
• Fondazione Policlinico Universitario "Agostino Gemelli" IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, L.go F. Vito 1, Rome 00168, Italy.
• Trans. R. Soc. Trop. Med. Hyg. 2021 Jan 7; 115 (1): 74-77.

BackgroundIn East Asia, face masks are commonly worn to reduce viral spread. In Euope and North America, however, their use has been stigmatised for a long time, although this view has radically changed during the ongoing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. Notwithstanding this, it is still unclear whether face masks worn by COVID-19 carriers may indeed prevent viral transmission and environmental contamination. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of surgical face masks in filtering SARS-CoV-2.MethodsFour male patients with COVID-19 were recruited for the study. Two patients wore a surgical mask for 5 h, while two others did not. The spread of the virus in the environment was evaluated through the approved Allplex 2019-nCoV assay.ResultsIn the room with the two patients without surgical masks, the swab performed on the headboard and sides of the beds was positive for SARS-CoV-2 contamination. In the other room, where two patients were wearing surgical masks, all of the swabs obtained after 5 h tested negative.ConclusionsThe results of the current study add to the growing body of literature supporting the use of face masks as a measure to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2 by retaining potentially contagious droplets that can infect other people and/or contaminate surfaces. Based on the current evidence, face masks should therefore be considered a useful and low-cost device in addition to social distancing and hand hygiene during the postlockdown phase.© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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