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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Did California's governor advise restaurant diners to wear a mask between bites?

Friday, October 16, 2020

By George Rowland

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YES

The official Twitter account of California's governor on Oct. 3 advised restaurant diners to wear their masks between bites. While the advice is more specific than that from some authorities, it reflects what's known about transmission of the coronavirus via respiratory droplets.

These droplets can be expelled by breathing, speaking, coughing and sneezing, all of which might occur between bites during a sociable meal. What's more, according to research, aerosol emissions increase as voice volume increases. "Minimize the number of times you take your mask off," the tweet advises.

The Centers for Disease Control in a July study found that patients testing positive for the coronavirus were about twice as likely to have reported recently visiting a restaurant as those who had tested negative. The study did acknowledge that masks "cannot be effectively worn while eating and drinking."

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Governor of California: Tweet with dining-out advice

Centers for Disease Control: Potential airborne transmission of the coronavirus

National Library of Medicine: Scientific Reports—Aerosol emission and super-emission during human speech increase with voice loudness

CDC: Study of community and close contact exposures associated with COVID-19

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR

Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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About fact briefs published on Gigafact

Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.