Inactivation strategies for SARS-CoV-2 on surgical masks using light-activated chemical dyes

•Photoactivated methylene blue pretreated masks inactivate SARS-CoV-2 Beta variant.•Methylene blue formulation is simple, safe, and cost-effective.•The technique inactivates >99.9% SARS-CoV-2 on community masks and surgical masks.•No specialized equipment is needed, making it useful in low-resource settings.