Van Ranst: ‘Mouth masks alone will not stop the epidemic’

Mayors and governors are tightening the mouth mask obligation in their territory to counter the rising corona numbers, but experts continue to insist on reducing the bubble. “Reducing the number of contacts remains the most important thing,” says virologist Marc Van Ranst.

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“This measure alone will not bring the epidemic back down,” says Van Ranst about the extension of the mouth mask obligation in various municipalities. Kortrijk, for example, requires a mask on the entire territory, and the same applies to the seawall along the entire coast. Other cities, such as Ghent and Leuven, are limited to the city center.

“It is especially important that wearing a mouth mask remains meaningful,” says Van Ranst. A mask must stop the transmission of the virus, and according to the virologist is therefore very useful in busy places, such as in the shop or on the market. “But a mouth mask for someone who walks alone on the street is not, who protects that person?” He points out that we will probably have to live with mouth masks for months to come. “Wearing that is no fun, so it has to be proportionate and meaningful.”

Distance and small bubbles

What can have a great effect is the size of the bubbles. “The most important thing is to reduce the number of contacts. Reducing the bubble from 15 to 10 people would have been a good signal, but unfortunately that didn’t happen. ”

That is why Van Ranst calls on everyone to spontaneously limit the number of contacts. “Don’t wait until it becomes mandatory next week,” he says.

According to Van Ranst, the measure of the oral masks will only have an effect if there is also less loose handling of people who are in the bubble. “Keeping distance also remains important in the bubble.”

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