New research is showing just how important it is to wear a mask in order to stop the spread of COVID-19.
The problem with COVID-19 is you can have it and not know you do. If you have it and walk around without a mask, you could spread it and now we can see the impact masks have on keeping us all safe.
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Researchers at Florida Atlantic University used a laser light sheet to visualize coughing and sneezing. The research shows that when you cough or sneeze without a face mask, droplets travel more than eight feet and can linger in the air for minutes.
The same test was done second time but with a bandana. In that test, the droplets only reached nearly four feet.
When the test was conducted with a stitched fabric mask, researchers found that droplets only reached two and a half inches.
You can watch the video above to see the test in action.
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According to researchers, it's the droplets that carry the pathogen. A sick person can spread those droplets by coughing, sneezing and even talking and breathing.
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