This is a download from BBC Learning English.
To find out more, visit our website.
Hello, this is Six Minute English from BBC Learning English.
I'm Rob.
And I'm Sam.
With the outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic, people in many countries around the world have started wearing face masks to protect both themselves and others they come into contact with.
In this program, we'll be asking whether wearing masks in public can help prevent the spread of coronavirus in the community.
Face masks have long been popular in some Asian countries, but with the spread of COVID-19,
they're increasingly being seen in other parts of the world too.
Wearing a protective mask or face covering is nothing new.
Medical masks have a long history from the plagues of medieval Europe to 19th-century outbreaks of cholera in the United States.
But when did they start to be commonly used?
That's my question for today.
When and where were face masks first widely used?
Was it A, 1855 in Vienna, B 1905 in Chicago, or C 1955 in London?
Hmm, well you mentioned cholera outbreaks in the US Rob, so I'll say B 1905 in Chicago.
Right Sam, where we'll find out later if you were right.
Now face masks may inspire confidence, but what is the evidence that they actually protect the wearer from contracting the virus or prevent infected people from spreading the virus to others?
Professor Robert West has conducted a review of over 20 studies looking into the evidence.
Here he is speaking to the BBC World Service Program Health Check.