Facemasks

Dilbert says "facemasks don't help" is a lie. LINK

it may have been a "little white lie" to prevent a toilet paper type run on facemasks, meaning none will be available for ordinary folks.

The dirty little secret: protection depends on what facemask does what.

when I was in medical school, we were told surgical masks (which back then were cloth... yes, I'm that old) only keep the surgeon from spitting into the patient's wound.

here in Asia, people wear masks all the time.

Ordinary masks that keep you from spreading your germs to others (e.g. in TB it keeps the spray that emits with ordinary talking/coughing/sneezine from spreading germs.

But they won't protect you from tiny virual (or even bacterial) particles that float in the air from going into your lung.

However, they also keep you from touching your face.

For viral etc. protection you need a heavier, tight fitting mask (which I had when I was a doc, since we treated TB cases).

And full protection requires not only a mask but a facial screen.