Study Finds that Neck Gaiters may Actually Increase COVID-19 Transmission

A new study published in Science Advances is shedding light on which masks are most effective — and which may actually be hurting the effort to curb COVID-19. The analysis, carried out by researchers at Duke University School of Medicine, relied on an “optimal measurement method” that uses a laser beam and cellphone camera to track the number of droplets that emerged from an individual while he or she wore a mask. Of the 14 masks, the two that proved least effective were a bandanna and what the researchers refer to as a neck fleece, also known as a neck gaiter.