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University Hospitals doctor encourages more mask wearing

A UH doctor breaks down why everyone should wear a mask in public.

CLEVELAND — A lot of people think of face masks as optional, but Dr. Amy Edwards at University Hospitals says there is a very clear guideline for when we should wear them.

“Basically, if you’re going out to public places -- and especially if you think you’re going to be in a situation where you cannot social distance, or in a situation where you could potentially spread the virus to others -- you should be wearing a face mask,” Dr. Edwards says.

In a perfect world, Dr. Edwards says everyone would wear a mask while in public.

“Whoever the asymptomatic shedder is, is going to have the mask on and that’s going to contain their droplets. So, it’s going to be a lot harder for anyone around them to get sick."

We asked Dr. Edwards what the risk is if an infected person with no symptoms -- an asymptomatic person -- is wearing a face mask?

"If the person who is wearing the mask is the asymptomatic shedder, then your risk goes down. Quite considerably actually, like 30 percent."

So in case you’re wondering if you should skip the mask, Dr. Edwards says the science behind it make it very clear.

“The official advice right now for when people should be wearing face masks is whenever you go out of your house basically."

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