Expert on PBS Recommends Wearing Masks: ‘Covid is Obviously Still Here’

Epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina told PBS Newshour anchor John Yang that due to an increase in reported Covid cases over the summer, people should consider wearing masks again, even inside their home.

Last week, Yang explained that there is a slight uptick in reported cases and hospital admission from covid, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The host then brought in Jetelina, a popular online epidemiologist, to give advice for staying safe from the virus.

Asked about whether people should consider wearing masks indoors, Jetelina said yes, people should wear them in crowded areas and inside their homes to avoid household transmissions between family members. However, she noted that wearing a mask outside while walking your dog was not necessary, but you should try to avoid too much contact with other people.

YANG: I want to ask you, quickly because there’s so many — so much concern among people out there about specific advice and tips you might have, I’m just going to name a topic and a quick answer. Masks.

JETELINA: Yes, you should wear, be wearing masks in crowded areas, especially during a surge.

YANG: But what about at home and when you’re walking on the street?

JETELINA: So, certainly, at home, it works, if you want to reduce household transmission. I wouldn’t wear a mask when walking your dog. Just be distant of other people.

Conservative media watchdog Newsbusters noted Wednesday that, similarly, New York Times reporter Apoorva Mandavilli penned an article quoting Jetelina’s PBS interview under the headline, “Amid Signs of a Covid Uptick, Researchers Brace for the ‘New Normal.’”

That article, too, offered a mask recommendation, from Johns Hopkins epidemiologist Dr. Caitlin Rivers:

No researchers foresee a return to the worst days of the pandemic. But some recommend that when the number of cases go up, people consider wearing masks again in crowded indoor spaces, testing when they have symptoms and being mindful of those around them who may be at high risk should they become infected.

“Whether we’re completely out of the pandemic and settled into our seasonal routine, I am going to pencil in the yes,” Dr. Rivers said. “But I’m also prepared to be surprised, because this virus has surprised me before.”

Watch the full segment above via PBS Newshour.