Updates on Limiting Transmission: Double Masking and Other COVID-19 Matters

This message was sent to Bryn Mawr College faculty and staff from Donald Abramowitz, COVID-19 Officer and Environmental Health and Safety Officer, on Monday, Feb. 1, 2021.

As we approach the start of the spring semester, I am sharing updates to Bryn Mawr College’s approach to limiting transmission of COVID-19 on campus. These updates are based on thorough review of current science regarding the virus, including Bryn Mawr-specific recommendations from leading medical experts.

Masks

The College requires all community members to wear masks around others; in some cases there may be benefits to  “double masking” by layering a cloth and a surgical mask.

Details: You are probably hearing of late about “double masking.” I have heard advice on this from various sources, and they are not completely consistent. What follows is my interpretation based on a review of the research and an approach I advocate for our community. I will caution that information about COVID-19 is still evolving and that what I say here is subject to change in the future. 

The emergence of new, more contagious variants of the COVID-19 virus suggest that we want to take even better precautions than we have previously to prevent catching and spreading this illness.  One way to do this is to improve our mask wearing. 

Masks serve two purposes: They block your “emissions” when you breathe, speak, cough, etc., from reaching others, and they block the droplets you inhale that other people breathe out around you. (If no one is around, there’s nothing that needs to be blocked.) No mask does either of these things with 100-percent efficiency.   

Fortunately, preventing illness does not require 100-percent performance; it just requires us to reduce our dose enough, which is largely achievable through masking and distancing.  Any mask that you wear over your nose and mouth is better than no mask. Don’t let the quest for perfection get in the way of doing something positive. 

How well a mask performs depends on two things: fit and filtration. In the case of cloth masks, whether home-made or store-bought, both of these vary greatly and are impossible to measure. Some perform pretty well; others less so. Multiple layers and what feels like good coverage without visible or felt gaps help. In general, masks that tie behind your head and neck fit better than those that go behind your ears. Too many filter layers, or too dense, such as a mask pocket fitted with a coffee filter or vacuum cleaner bag materials, may be too much of a good thing, where it ends up being so hard to pull air through the filter that it just leaks more around the edges. 

Surgical style masks, like the blue ones we provide, consist of three plies of material made to specific standards. They also feature an electrostatic treatment that makes them filter more effectively than cloth (a.k.a. “mechanical” filters) without increasing breathing resistance. They have a proven level of filtration that is quite good and are relatively easy to breathe through. This makes them a pretty consistent choice, but they don’t form a great seal around the edges, so some air goes in and out without passing through the filter. 

In my view, the optimal way to double mask is to wear a surgical mask under a cloth mask that fits well. This gives you known filtering efficiency and a better seal. This would be a desirable combination when you can’t help but be near other people. The College will continue to make the surgical style masks available. We are not requiring double masking but doing so is likely an improvement over a single cloth or surgical mask worn alone. 

N95 masks are the “gold standard” of masks, but even they do not provide 100-percent droplet removal and their performance depends largely on fit. They remain in short supply and the authorities continue to ask that they be reserved for those providing medical care. KN95 masks are more available and made to higher standards than surgical or cloth masks. Their primary limitation is in their fit; their ability to filter is well established.  Some individuals find it difficult to tolerate KN95 or N95 masks for longer periods of time. The College is making KN95 and N95 masks available for our medical staff and other employees when performing “higher risk” tasks. If you have access to N95 or KN95 masks, I see no advantage to double masking; just take the time to adjust the mask to get as good a fit as you can. 

Vaccination

The College recommends that all community members get a vaccine from their local distribution site, unless advised otherwise by a medical professional.  

Details: Safe and effective vaccines have been developed and more are on the way. The pace and efficiency of their distribution is frustrating at present, but they are expected to only improve. The College has applied to be a vaccine distribution site, but we have no information yet as to when we may receive some or to whom we may give it. There is some misinformation circulating about vaccine distribution. We are in active conversation with Montgomery County Department of Health and will communicate with the community as soon as we get information about the College’s ability to distribute a vaccine. 

If you are able to obtain vaccination through any program you may be eligible for in your community, the College encourages you to do so, providing your personal physician has no concerns for your particular health circumstances. 

Testing

The College continues to encourage employees to take advantage of our regular testing. 

Details: The College will offer testing for staff throughout the semester. The frequency, either monthly or biweekly, will depend on the degree of contact with students that your particular position presents. More details as to where and how to get tested will be coming. If you are working on site, we encourage you to take advantage of the testing, as spreading the virus without knowing you have it is how the majority of transmission takes place. 

The College continues to ask employees to stay home when sick and to pay employees for this time.  

Details: Please continue to fill in the daily symptom checker and to really pay attention to how you are feeling. If you sense you are coming down with symptoms, please stay home, notify your supervisor, and see how it goes. We’d rather you err on the side of missing a day than pushing ahead until you are certain you are sick. If you have exposure to someone who is sick or COVID-19 positive, we all want you to stay home, and if you are not sure if your experience counts as exposure or not, please contact me so we can discuss it. 

Other Practices

In accordance with updated guidance from the CDC, the College has reduced its required quarantine period from 14 days to 10 days.   

Details: Our policies and practices for the spring semester are largely the same as the fall, so please keep washing your hands, staying six feet from one another, and observing occupancy limits on rooms. One notable difference: Effective Feb. 1, we are changing our quarantine period for staff who have been exposed to someone positive or who have traveled out of state from 14 days to 10 days. This 10 day period applies regardless of any negative test results. 

Questions and Concerns

If you have COVID-19-related questions or concerns, please contact me at dabramow@brynmawr.edu or x5166. 

With best wishes for a healthy and safe semester, 

Don