To eat or drink at work, on trains, in public places or at home, there is no choice, you have to drop the mask.
At the risk of infecting or being infected.
Because "meals play a central role in contamination", estimates the Pasteur Institute.
To remedy this problem and limit the risk of contamination, researchers have developed a new type of protection in Mexico: the nasal mask.
This piece of fabric slips on like a classic mask and completely covers the nose, leaving the mouth uncovered and giving its wearer the air of 17th century plague doctors.
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“With daily activities, that's what we want to emphasize, when everyone is eating, we have to remove the masks,” explains Gustavo Acosta, immunologist in Mexico.
The nasal mask is used for these activities ”.
If the nasal mask offers relative protection, it does not replace the surgical mask because the nose is not the only route of contamination.
“The coronavirus is very contagious.
It can penetrate one of these three passages: the eyes, the nose and the mouth.
You can be infected if an infected person sneezes or coughs, ”recalls the immunologist.
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The masks are not yet marketed, but researchers are negotiating with a company for their manufacture.