I suppose using your hand is just as effective as an improper mask, but how many times have you been somewhere and people don't cover their mouth when they cough or sneeze? Oh, and if you could hold your breath when in crowded places that would help too, or just wear a mask.
It may be too soon for the U.S. to let go of face masks according to experts who have warned of insecurity against future COVID variants. Across the U.S., face mask mandates have been dropped in various states over the past few weeks amid consistently declining COVID cases.
Face masks have turned out to be one of the pandemic's contentious issues. Some states have embraced them while others have gone so far as to take legislative action preventing local governments from mandating their use.
Even as a number of states drop mandates, a recent CBS News-YouGov poll showed that the majority of U.S. citizens surveyed, 56 percent, still support their use. So, what's the right answer?
A number of experts have said that while a future without face masks may well lie ahead, they're not sure the country is quite there yet.
During this pandemic, every time we thought we could discard our masks, another variant came along to disturb our complacency—Delta, now Omicron and perhaps its relative BA.2—and we were almost right back where we started.
If it were your decision, would you keep mask mandates in place even if it were just for a few more weeks?
We know that masks interrupt transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
We know that people who get infected with SARS-CoV-2 can die, can develop disabling long COVID and can transmit the infection to people who are highly susceptible.
We also know that mask mandates do not prevent the economy from running. They are a minor inconvenience.
