Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control said last week that healthy people did not need to wear surgical masks unless they were visiting a hospital. Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, instructed government officials on Tuesday to stop wearing the masks to help save supplies for medical workers.
The answer to the simplest of questions — do they work? — is, unfortunately, not that simple. There isn’t much high-quality scientific evidence on whether masks are an effective safeguard outside health care settings, where experts generally agree that they reduce risks. But it appears that while they can slow the spread of disease when worn by sick people, the masks — of which there is now a global shortage — do little when worn by healthy people.
Still, in some Asian cities like Hong Kong, where long lines form each morning for limited mask supplies, the vast majority of people on sidewalks and public transportation wear one, and people who don’t are sometimes questioned about it.
The masks can prevent large respiratory droplets from other people’s sneezes and coughs from entering your mouth and nose, but gaps around the mouth can still let unfiltered air in. What’s more, people often misuse the masks, or move them aside.
There’s no need for Americans to run out and stock up, though some have already begun to hoard them. A shortage of masks could raise the risk of the virus spreading if health care workers are unable to get the supplies they need.
Most experts agree: If you want to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and keep yourself safe, the best thing you can do is wash your hands and avoid touching your face.
