Sine the COVID-19 pandemic began, there has been quite a bit of contradicting information regarding wearing a mask.

At first, we were told not to wear a mask, as it wasn’t going to protect us or anyone from getting the virus. However, after a few weeks, experts decided we actually should be wearing masks in public—whether it was going to the grocery store or even to hang out in the background while socially distancing with friends—to help limit the spread.

Now, it’s weird to see people without masks in public. Pretty much every place you go requires you to wear a mask, and if you don’t, you’ll be asked to leave (just asked this “Karen” who threw a fit at the supermarket after being asked to put on a mask, or this woman who claimed she had a breathing problem and couldn’t wear a mask in Trader Joe’s).

Now, one scientist is determined to set the record straight about why you should wear a mask, and what might happen if you don’t.

In a viral Twitter post, Dr. Rich Davis explained that masks block respiratory droplets that come from your mouth and throat. To show this, he conducted an experiment.

In the post, he wrote what he did: “I sneezed, sang, talked & coughed toward an agar culture plate with or without a mask.”

What does a mask do? Blocks respiratory droplets coming from your mouth and throat.Two simple demos:First, I sneezed, sang, talked & coughed toward an agar culture plate with or without a mask. Bacteria colonies show where droplets landed. A mask blocks virtually all of them. pic.twitter.com/ETUD9DFmgU

— Rich Davis, PhD, D(ABMM), MLS 🦠🔬🧫 (@richdavisphd) June 26, 2020

In the photo, you can clearly see that the plate where he did all four things while not being masked has a ton of bacteria, and the plates where he did the same masked barely have any (if they even have any at all).

He then explained exactly what happened after the experiment, which has some pretty fascinating results: “Bacteria colonies show where droplets landed. A mask blocks virtually all of them.”

After the trial gained so much traction, he decided to do a similar experiment to see what keeping your distance can do for the spread of bacteria. He tested how droplets would reach all of two, four, and six feet, both masked and unmasked.

Like the first experiment, wearing a mask wins every time. Even standing six feet away without a mask still caused a droplet or two to reach the plate, vs. absolutely none reached in any distance when masked.

If there was any hesitation in wearing a mask, perhaps this experiment will help you see just how effective it can be in spreading germs like that from COVID-19. The pictures speak for themselves!

Do you wear a mask when out in public? Did you know how well it could protect others from getting sick? What do you think of Dr. Davis’ experiment?