This is important because droplets carry the virus, and you might be infected and contagious without realizing it.
If everybody wears a mask, the virus has very few opportunities to pass from person to person.
Bottom line, masks help, but they do not provide perfect protection for you or for others.
Also: masksdo notblock carbon dioxide, so you dont have to worry about the mask slowly suffocating you.
Theydo notcause or worsen infections.These are mythsunsupported by science.
An N95, if you’re free to get one, is better still.
What happens if I dont wear a mask?
A crowd of maskless people (say, at a bar) is like a trading post for viruses.
You might pick up the virus, or somebody might pick it up from you.
All this is to say, if you must shop or socialize, do itwith a mask.
Transmission resulting from maskless spread is the kind of thing that shuts businesses down again.
If you want things to stay open, do your part and wear a mask.
Important limitations
Masks do a lot for us, but they arent a magical force field.
Remember these caveats:
You have to wear them properly (that means over yourmouth and nose).
N95s are better than surgical masks, which are better than cloth masks.
But wearing a cloth mask frees up the medical varieties for healthcare workers who need them most.
No mask provides perfect protection.
