Thursday, Apr. 8, 2021
Is it correct to wear surgical masks with the white side out for a healthy person but the blue side out for a sick person?
The only correct way to wear the mask for anyone is with the blue side facing out, according to an instructional video from the World Health Organization.
Each layer of a surgical mask serves a different purpose that is most effective when worn with the colored side out and white side in. The inner white layer is absorbent and meant to capture particles when the wearer speaks or coughs. The outer colored layer is fluid-repellent and meant to keep out viruses and bacteria.
Some social media posts claim incorrectly that healthy wearers should have the white side out to keep germs out while sick wearers should have the blue side out to keep their germs in.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- World Health Organization (WHO) How to wear a medical mask
- Smart Air Does Wearing Surgical Masks With the Wrong Side Out Affect Their Ability to Capture Viruses?
- Healthline How to Wear a Face Mask to Reduce Virus Transmission
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Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.
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