Facemasks help prevent people who have COVID-19 from spreading it to others

The Center for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) recommends that every person wear a face mask in public settings and around others who don't live in your household unless under the age of two or have an exempting medical condition, such as severe asthma or chronic lung disease^[1]. Face masks cover a person's nose and mouth, the two easiest ways for a virus to enter the body; a cloth barrier protects both the person wearing a mask and others around them. Facemasks prevent people from spraying droplets (which could contain the virus) onto others; several studies have proven that fabric is enough to stop the droplets that come from a person's mouth as they speak^[2][3]. In January, a man who tested positive for COVID-19 flew from China to Toronto and wore a mask the entire flight. All twenty-five people within close-contact surprisingly tested negative for the virus, proving a facemask is extremely effective^[4]. If everyone who is medically able to wear a mask does, the spread of the coronavirus will be greatly reduced. The mandates and recommendations to wear a mask in public have allowed areas around the world to return to a somewhat normal life again; people can return to work, go shopping, etc, without less anxiety about spreading or catching the coronavirus.