What the COVID-19 variants could mean for masks, lockdowns and vaccines The government-mandated health institute, however, said use of the N95 masks is a “temporary additional measure in exceptional situations.”Proper infection control and measures such as social distancing and regular handwashing are more important to protecting health workers from the virus, it added, noting that N95 masks should only be worn after an “exhaustive multidisciplinary evaluation.”For months, health-care unions in Quebec have demanded the government make N95 masks more widely available for workers.