poster says face covering required with illustration of a woman and man wearing face masks.We’ve heard a lot about the importance of wearing a face covering lately  – especially since it’s required when you’re on the College of Charleston campus. But how does wearing a face covering help stop the spread of the coronavirus?

RELATED: Have you taken the Cougar Pledge to wear a face covering on campus?

Alumnus Dr. Robert T. Ball Jr. ’66, an epidemiologist and professor in residence at CofC, says that wearing a mask that covers both the nose and mouth protects against the coronavirus in three ways:

  1. By limiting the spread of respiratory droplets to others around us
  2. By protecting us from the respiratory droplets of others
  3. By reminding us not to touch our faces, thus helping to limit the transmission of the virus

RELATED: Watch more Public Service Announcements from members of the CofC community.

“Please be smart, stay safe and always wear your mask indoors and on campus,” says Ball. “Wearing a mask is the single most important thing you can do to reduce the soaring infection rate.”