Do you need to wear a mask outdoors? See where protection still pays off

Governor João Doria (PSDB) should announce this Wednesday (9) the end of the mandatory use of masks in streets and other open environments in the state of São Paulo. Although well-ventilated open spaces are much safer, with little risk of contamination by Covid-19, some specific situations deserve a little attention. They are, basically: spaces with agglomeration and prolonged close, face-to-face contacts.

The relaxation of the use of masks in open places, at the moment, makes sense, considering that the pandemic situation in Brazil, after a resurgence in early 2022, has been showing improvement, say experts heard by the sheet.

Vitor Mori, a research physicist at the University of Vermont (USA) and a member of the Covid-19 BR Observatory, says it is even surprising that Brazil has taken, in general, to release the mask in open environments, something that has been done for some time in other countries.

Face to face

Less risk outdoors does not mean zero risk.

Raquel Stucchi, a professor at Unicamp and a consultant for the SBI (Brazilian Society of Infectious Diseases), recalls that, in open environments, there has always been a lower requirement for the use of a mask. It is common both on the street and in parks to see countless people without face protection.

Mori points out that close face-to-face interactions (with unmasked faces) for long periods carry a greater risk even outdoors. Thus, this type of contact deserves a little more attention.

The researcher says that flexibility for open environments must be accompanied by communication that encourages people to actually look for open places to do activities such as leisure.

“It seems to me an excellent opportunity to have good communication encouraging people to be outdoors”, says the physicist.

Concerts, stadiums and beaches

The closer someone is and the more direct the interaction, the greater the risk. The more people around, the more people close to you, the greater the risk. The more people screaming, singing, the greater the risk. Therefore, it is conceivable that a music festival, such as Lollapalooza Brasil, which should take place at the end of this month, in São Paulo, football games and even beaches can be points of attention.

“Shows are going to happen, people are meeting, doing events, regardless of whether we think it’s right or wrong, without value judgment. Once this demand will exist, that people will look for activities, it seems to me much more reasonable than the people do it outdoors and promote as much safety as possible within that context”, says Mori.

The researcher uses Carnival as an example of an event that was canceled outdoors, but allowed to take place indoors, where the risk of contamination is much greater.

Rosana Richtmann, an infectious disease specialist at the Emílio Ribas Institute, also recalls that Lollapalooza, for example, will attract people from other parts of the country, which can lead to a greater circulation not only of Covid, but of other diseases. The specialist, however, highlights the importance of wearing the mask in closed environments that lead to the festival site (which will be outdoors, at the Interlagos Circuit), such as subways, trains and buses.

Does that mean you have to wear masks at outdoor events? The answer to that question is already a little more difficult.

There is no doubt that wearing a mask is safer than not. But the question of use, in these cases, also ends up being related to the perception and to what degree of risk the person is willing to take (considering that the use of protection will become an individual decision).

“It seems like a reasonable measure to me,” says Mori of wearing masks in places with crowding, singing, celebrating and lots of face-to-face interactions. At the same time, he points out that, in outdoor events, the situation is more relaxed and the use of face protection is a more conservative risk position.

Stucchi summarizes by saying that, for agglomerations, if it is not possible to maintain a distance, the mask is an important tool for protection.

“There will always be risk”, says Richtmann, who says, however, that he doesn’t see much more sense in wearing a mask in open places, even thinking about crowded beaches, for example. In concerts and music festivals, the open environment may not be the central issue, but the behavior of people, with shared drinks, a lot of proximity. But she highlights the importance of using protection in certain groups, such as the unvaccinated, people who have comorbidities or immunity problems.

“The good thing is that from now on, no one will be surprised to have someone wearing a mask in an environment”, says Richtman. “There’s nothing wrong. Anyone who wants to wear a mask, let them.”

Even if the mask is no longer charged at some open events, the specialist from the Emílio Ribas Institute highlights that the vaccination passport should continue to be charged, precisely to reduce the risk of the people who are present there.