A New Class of Safety Equipment for Controlling the Spread of Coronavirus: The “Coronavirus Droplet Barrier” or CVDB (Larry Schlussler, Ph.D. Sun Frost larryssolar@gmail.com)

Fortunately the coronavirus enters the environment from just two point sources: the nose and the mouth. If we all wore CVBD’s that were 100% efficient, we could eliminate the virus in the environment in the time it takes the virus to die on previously contaminated surfaces. It would then exist solely in the bodies of those infected with the virus.
Existing masks have two functions: filtering the air being inhaled and blocking droplets that are being exhaled from the wearer’s nose and mouth. The CVDB has a single task—blocking the droplets exiting the nose and mouth. The CVDB could be categorized as a new class of safety equipment.

A variety of mask types could work effectively as CVDB’s, including N95’s and surgical masks. An N95 is designed to filter very small particles—particles that are much smaller than the droplets spreading the coronavirus
A surgical mask is designed to catch droplets expectorated by a medical caregiver during an operation as well as block relatively large droplets that would otherwise be inhaled. This type of mask is adequate to block the coronavirus. (Although the virus is very small, the droplets that carry it are much larger.)
A consequence of the N95’s ability to filter extremely fine particles is that breathing is more difficult compared to a surgical mask. N95 masks also fit more tightly and are not as comfortable to wear for long periods of time. Another factor in favor of surgical masks is that they cost considerably less than N95’s. Currently both N95 masks and surgical masks are in short supply. Home-made masks and bandannas fashioned into a mask could make effective CVDB’s.
CVDB’s will eliminate pathogen-containing droplets in the air, thus preventing people from inhaling the coronavirus into their lungs. Eliminating airborne droplets will also keep surfaces from being contaminated and hands will not pick up the virus. With virus-free hands, touching your face will be less problematic. Trying to eliminate viruses on surfaces by cleaning them is a very temporary fix. As soon as a surface is cleaned, it can be recontaminated by an infected but asymptomatic person. With no droplets in the air, even if two people inadvertently get within 6 feet of each other, they will still not inhale the virus. The benefits of using CVDB’s are synergistic.

Why Everyone Should Be Wearing CVDB’s

At the grocery store, the cart you’re pushing may have been cleaned 10 minutes before you arrived. Yet virus-containing droplets may have been deposited on it immediately after the surface was cleaned. This same scenario applies to all surfaces in the store. If an asymptomatic person infected with the virus is standing over the lettuce while trying to figure out which head to buy, the lettuce can become contaminated with virus-containing droplets. If you run into a friend who is asymptomatic and has the virus, you inhale their droplets if you do not do proper social distancing. The checkout person is most susceptible. They can contract the virus from the air, from purchased groceries, from a contaminated counter, or from money. If all the store’s occupants were wearing CVDB’s, all of these sources of contamination could be eliminated.
Parks and beaches have been closed in Mendocino County. If CVDB’s were used, the parks and beaches could stay open with a higher degree of safety. We need these outdoor recreation areas for our sanity.
Fortunately the coronavirus can be controlled by employing a number of low- tech measures: social distancing, hand washing, cleaning surfaces, and using CVDB’s. Wearing masks worked effectively in Hong Kong where seven million people live close together on a small island. The masks were effective CVDB’s.

This excellent video produced in the Czech Republic does an explaining why masks should be warn in public.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhNo_IOPOtU&app=desktop