Why governments need to require public mask usage (and how you can help!)

Government, scientific, and health leaders almost universally agree: cloth masks limit the spread of COVID-19, save lives, and help to end lockdowns.

Yet despite this fact, most countries (including the U.S.) have failed to implement universal mask usage and thus aren’t using one of the simplest, cheapest, and most effective containment strategies. 

Please Take Action!

U.S. Only: Please take 60 seconds to send a pre-written message to your government leaders asking for public masks to be required in public. Send the message Masks4all via text to 50409 (click to text)via this Twitter link, or via this Facebook link.

Other countries: Please contact your government leaders and share this website!

Your voice matters! 200,000+ other #Masks4All supporters have already taken action, resulting in 60+ countries mandating masks.

Why masks must be required: explained in 90 seconds

We have an urgent message about some critical new scientific research. It strongly suggests that requiring fabric mask use in public places could be amongst the most powerful tools to stop the community spread of COVID-19.

An international cross-disciplinary review of the scientific research by 19 experts and other recent research shows that:

  • People are most infectious in the initial period of infection, when it is common to have few or no symptoms
  • Cloth masks obstruct a high portion of the droplets from the mouth and nose that spread the virus
  • Non-medical masks have been effective in reducing transmission of coronavirus
  • Cloth masks can be washed in soapy water and re-used
  • Places and time periods where mask usage is required or widespread have been shown to substantially lower community transmission
  • Public mask wearing is most effective at stopping spread of the virus when the vast majority of the public uses masks
  • Laws appear to be highly effective at increasing compliance and slowing or stopping the spread of COVID-19.

Modeling suggests that widespread public mask use, in conjunction with other measures, could bring the effective reproduction number (R) beneath 1.0, thus halting the growth of the pandemic.

Therefore, we ask that government officials require cloth mask wearing in all public places, such as stores, transportation systems, and public buildings as soon as possible. This action will prevent people who are infectious from unknowingly spreading the disease.

Such requirements will greatly increase the rate of mask wearing. This should be done in conjunction with, not as a replacement for, hygiene, physical distancing, testing, and contact tracing strategies.

This requirement should be introduced alongside clear guidelines for the production, use and sanitization or re-use of face masks. We urge you to also consider their distribution as shortages allow.

There is no need to wait for availability of medical-grade masks; any face covering, including a piece of cloth, a scarf, bandana, t-shirt, or paper towel, appears to be effective.

You can save lives and help restore the economy by sharing this on social media and with your government leaders.

Your voice matters! 200,000+ other #Masks4All supporters have already taken action, resulting in 60+ countries mandating masks.

U.S. Only: Please take 60 seconds to send a pre-written message to your government leaders asking for public masks to be required in public. Send the message Masks4all via text to 50409 (click to text)via this Twitter link, or via this Facebook link.

Other countries: Please contact your government leaders and share this website!