Doing this while wearing your mask can slow COVID spread

New Delhi : Wearing a mask and practicing social distancing while in public is not enough, there is even more you can do to reduce your chances of spreading the coronavirus when you leave the house.

According to a report in BestLife, there is talk less—or at least less loudly. Every route of viral transmission would go down if we talked less, or talked less loudly, in public spaces, Jose L. Jimenez, PhD, a professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder who studies disease transmission, recently told The Atlantic.

COVID-19 spread primarily through respiratory droplets expelled into the air when an infected individual sneezes or coughs. Even singing—particularly in church choirs, according to one CDC study.

In an analysis of recent social distancing research showed, talking quietly or being silent were both associated with a lower risk level of COVID transmission in a variety of settings—both indoors and outdoors—where group activities took place. 

In fact, more often than not, shouting was found to heighten the risk of virus transmission when compared to silence or using a normal speaking voice.

It is the combination of limiting how often and how loud you talk when around others and wearing a mask that would really make the most impact. However, Jiminez, isn't overly confident about getting people to quiet down.

"What we've learned from the mask experience is that many Americans don't like being told what to do if they don't understand why it's necessary," Jiminez said. "People need to understand that this virus is in the air, and that they breathe out 10 times more virus when they are shouting or speaking loudly."