Wearing masks on planes DOES cut risk of Covid spreading, study confirms

Many travellers have bemoaned having to wear a mask for an entire flight but it does reduce the chance of spreading Covid, a study has confirmed.

Chinese experts simulated how droplets of moisture spread around the cabin of areas of two passenger flights using two real world examples of exposure to the virus on planes. 

One was an almost 12 hour flight from London Heathrow to Hanoi in March 2020, where passengers were mostly mask-free, and the other was a five-and-a-half hour flight from Singapore to Hangzhou in January 2020 where masks were worn. 

Researchers tested how far the droplets could be spread by coughing, talking, and breathing.

They then used a computer model and predicted who got infected with over 80 per cent overall accuracy compared to the real word flight. 

The team, from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, calculated that if all passengers used surgical masks in the London to Hanoi flight, the number of people infected with Covid would have been slashed from 12 to just one. 

However, in the Singapore to Hangzhou flight, an investigation found one passenger, who later caught the virus, loosened their mask to have a conversation something the authors of the new study said would have 'greatly contributed' to his infection.   

Even though mask mandates have come and gone in the UK, they have remained compulsory throughout the duration of flights since air travel resumed.  

However, some have questioned their effectiveness as passengers are packed so close together and remove them to eat and drink while onboard.  

But study author Professor Dayi Lai said the latest research confirmed masks make a 'significant difference'.