I haven’t seen any real results on whether bare virions in the air are infectious, but it certainly doesn’t sound like a major mechanism of COVID-19 infection. Certainly, when coughing, a good deal of the expelled material is visible and fairly large. And wet.
ISTM a moderately tightly woven or knit hydrophilic mask (e.g. cotton) could be quite effective. Knits could have the added benefit that droplets would need to take a twisty path to get through. And there is plenty of such material around.
This shouldn’t be that hard to study in a lab. Find a sick person, have them cough through different masks, and measure viral concentrations on nearby surfaces.
ISTM a moderately tightly woven or knit hydrophilic mask (e.g. cotton) could be quite effective. Knits could have the added benefit that droplets would need to take a twisty path to get through. And there is plenty of such material around.
This shouldn’t be that hard to study in a lab. Find a sick person, have them cough through different masks, and measure viral concentrations on nearby surfaces.