RELATED: 'I'm begging you': US surgeon general pleads with Americans to wear face masks amid virus surgeThe virus spreads from droplets people spray when they cough, sneeze or talk.
Surgical or cloth face masks can block most of those particles from spreading.While some droplets may still spread out, wearing a mask could reduce the amount, providing a benefit to others.
Research shows people don’t get as sick when exposed to smaller amounts of virus, said Dr. Monica Gandhi, a virus expert at University of California, San Francisco.AdvertisementRIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL â AUGUST 26: Crowd of people, with their masks, are seen in the central region of the city on August 26, 2020 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.