Claim: ‘Face masks don’t work’
Wearing a face mask is certainly not an iron-clad guarantee that you won’t get sick – viruses can also transmit through the eyes and tiny viral particles, known as aerosols, can penetrate masks. However, masks are effective at capturing droplets, which is a main transmission route of coronavirus, and some studies have estimated a roughly fivefold protection versus no barrier alone (although others have found lower levels of effectiveness).

If you are likely to be in close contact with someone infected, a mask cuts the chance of the disease being passed on. If you’re showing symptoms of coronavirus, or have been diagnosed, wearing a mask can also protect others. So masks are crucial for health and social care workers looking after patients and are also recommended for family members who need to care for someone who is ill – ideally both the patient and carer should have a mask.

However, masks will probably make little difference if you’re just walking around town or taking a bus so there is no need to bulk-buy a huge supply.

The CDC now recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain–like at grocery stores and pharmacies.

At UCSF Health we support the use of face masks or face coverings. Please note that physical distancing (maintaining at least 6-feet away from others) is still required, even when wearing a mask.

Reasons we support the use of face masks:

The highly contagious nature of the virus
The potential for asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission
Empiric evidence from Asia, where masks are routinely used