Portland Public Schools: Why Snug, Multi-Layered Masks Limit The Spread Of COVID-19

Press release from Portland Public Schools:

January 10, 2022

Dear PPS Community,

While the best protection we have against COVID-19 continues to be vaccines plus booster shots, we know that when used correctly, face masks create an important barrier that reduces the spray of a person’s respiratory droplets, which can spread the virus that causes COVID-19. Because the Omicron variant spreads more easily than the Delta variant, wearing a well-fitting mask is more important than ever to slow the spread of COVID-19. To limit the spread of the Omicron variant, PPS continues to require individuals to wear masks at all times while on school campuses (indoor and outdoor) and on school buses.

Below are some tips from public health experts on proper use of masks:

If you are interested in learning more about how to select, properly wear, clean and store your masks, here are links to a few trusted resources:

• CDC: Your Guide to Masks: How to select, properly wear, clean, and store masks
• Healthy Children: Face Masks for Children During COVID-19
• Healthy Children: Mask Mythbusters: Common Questions about Kids & Face Masks
• VIDEO: How to Properly Wear a Mask 
• JAMA Network: Why Wear a Mask?—Explaining Medical Masking to Children

In addition to personal protective equipment we ask every individual to wear, we’ve upgraded existing air filters in each of our schools' mechanical systems to MERV 13 standards. This higher level of filtration provides another layer of protection to fight against COVID transmission. And as part of the PPS multi-layer approach to protecting against COVID transmission, the District has distributed portable air purifiers into classrooms and many other areas in all District buildings.  The portable air purifiers provide HEPA level air filtration, which is capable of removing 99.97% of particles of 0.3 microns.  This is the standard filtration used to capture virus aerosols. 

We continue to urge all members of our community who are eligible to please get vaccinated and boosted against the virus. We encourage you to talk to your children about proper and effective mask wearing on school campuses. Thank you for your patience and understanding and for doing your part to keep our community safe.

Portland Public Schools

This press release was produced by Portland Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.