Dr. Anthony Fauci said that wearing two face masks “likely” provides more protection than wearing just one mask.
“Because, I mean, this is a physical covering to prevent droplets and virus to get in,” Fauci told NBC’s Savannah Guthrie on Monday. “So, if you have a physical covering with one layer, you put another layer on — it just makes common sense that it likely would be more effective, and that’s the reason why you see people either double-masking or doing a version of an N95.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised that masks be worn in public areas, gatherings, and “anywhere they will be around other people.” The CDC has also advised that the masks have two or more layers of breathable fabric, but it has not sent out guidance on wearing two masks.
Some have resisted the guidance on masks, however, with it becoming a political issue over the last year in the form of protests and videos showing fights break out in stores over mask use.
President Biden asked Fauci to serve as the administration’s chief medical adviser and to work on his COVID-19 team after the election, and he indicated that there would be a greater push for mask-wearing in his administration than under former President Donald Trump’s administration.
“Just 100 days to mask, not forever, 100 days. And I think we’ll see a significant reduction,” Biden said in December.
On his first day in office, Biden followed through on that pledge and signed an executive order requiring people to wear masks on federal property and while on public transportation, among other areas.
