Should You Wear a Mask?

To mask, or not to mask.

It’s been roughly 6 months since the Coronavirus started making headlines in the US, and it doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon. Many of us downplayed it at first. Then it got serious. People scrambled to find N-95 masks to protect themselves from the virus.

Then we were told to stop buying masks – only first responders and healthcare workers needed that protection, and supplies were running thin.

Now the message has changed. Both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend everyone should at the very least, wear a cloth mask while in public places.

Simply put, the use of a mask is just one of the steps in a series of small adjustments we can make to protect ourselves – along with following proper social distancing guidelines. According to WHO, masks help reduce the spread of infection when both healthy AND infected persons wear them simultaneously.

However, the use of a mask alone is not enough to prevent the spread. Continuing to follow proper hand hygiene, social distancing and other infection prevention is critical in preventing the spread of the virus.

Equally as important, is knowing exactly when and how to wear each type of mask.

How to Safely Wear a Cloth Mask.

How to Wear a Medical Mask.

Medical Masks Vs. Fabric Masks – Who wears what and when?

For a deeper dive into the proper use of masks, check out WHO’s advice on wearing masks.