"Our analyses support the immediate and universal adoption of facemasks by the public," said Richard Stutt, who co-led the study at Cambridge. The R value measures the average number of people that one infected person will pass the disease on to. An R value above 1 can lead to exponential growth. The study found that if people wear masks whenever they are in public it is twice as effective at reducing the R value than if masks are only worn after symptoms appear. "We have little to lose from the widespread adoption of facemasks, but the gains could be significant," said Renata Retkute, who co-led the study.

Source: Otago Daily Times June 09, 2020 22:52 UTC