CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- The 119th press conference on the prevention and control of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Chongqing was held on August 27. During the press conference, Luo Fei, the chief physician from Chongqing Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) again urged citizens to wear a mask.

“Wearing a mask is significant.” Luo Fei said that, viruses can be transmitted through respiratory droplets and close contacts, so wearing a mask is very effective for the prevention, treatment, and control of respiratory infectious diseases.

To re-emphasize the importance of wearing a mask, he gave an example during the press conference:

“Once, the movements of an infected patient were found to cover a very wide range. The patient had taken a bus several times and stayed at a chess and card room for a long period of time. Worrying that these social activities may cause a greater spread of the epidemic, we immediately carried out measures of investigation, control and nucleic acid testing at the same time, and quickly located all primary and secondary contacts. A few days later, several positive test results were found among those contacts who had been to the same chess and card room, while no positive result was found among those passengers who had been on the same bus. We believe it is because the contacts on the bus wore a masks properly, while those at the chess and card room didn’t, even though both are enclosed spaces.”

Luo Fei added, “Recently an infected person who went to a park without wearing a mask, where most people didn’t wear a mask either, has caused over 30 person to get infected, even though the park is a wide-open space.”

Previously, there was an infected person who had made several trips to and from Chongqingbei Railway Station, Chongqingxi Railway Station and other crowded transportation stations. Though he had close contacts with lots of people, those contacts were not infected. The investigation found that the infected person had been wearing a mask all the time, including the time when he walked through or stayed in public places.

The above cases told us that the wearing a mask in a proper way can effectively prevent the spread of the virus and reduce the risk of infection. Luo Fei said, "Let me make it easy to understand: as long as you wear a mask properly, it’s hard for the virus to catch you."

He urged the citizens to wear a mask properly and carry out self-protection measures when they take public transport, or stay in crowded places or enclosed spaces. (Translated by Cai Xinyu, Fathom Language Limited)