Etsy sellers are offering sheer mesh face masks that provide ‘very little protection’

Masks for sale on Etsy.

Etsy sellers have been a top source for stylish masks since the start of the pandemic — but some of them, it turns out, are barely masks at all.
Sellers have been marketing masks made out of mesh, lace, and other materials with visible holes in them. The masks are often marketed for their fashion (some have butterflies or rhinestones on them) and advertised as being “breathable.” Reviewers sometimes cite them as a more comfortable way to comply with mask mandates.
If you can see the holes, then “obviously virus particles can get through”
They’re also unlikely to be very effective at protecting against the spread of COVID-19. If holes in a fabric are big enough that you can see them, “then obviously virus particles can get through, so it…

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