In new guidance, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the more you wear a mask, the less likely you are to get sick.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now says cloth masks protect the mask-wearer and those around them from COVID-19.
In its new guidance, the CDC says the more you wear a mask, the less likely you are to get sick. In fact, studies show consistent mask-wearing reduces the risk of acquiring infection by more than 70 percent.
More than half of all COVID-19 infections come from those who are asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic and have no signs or symptoms of illness. By consistently wearing a mask, you reduce the risk of unknowingly spreading the virus to others and also unknowingly getting sick yourself.
But not all masks are created equal: Make sure your mask is non-valved, multi-layered, and made of tightly woven fabric, and make sure it covers your mouth and nose.
As Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan emphasized famously this week: Just wear a mask, wear it often, wear it consistently, and wear it to protect yourself and others.