Although face masks cannot prevent you from catching COVID-19, theyprevent you spreading the virus to others. Every time we speak or breath, we spray thousands upon thousands of aerosol droplets into the air. Should you be carrying COVID-19, each of these aerosol droplet will contain thousands of viral particles, each with the potential to infect anyone nearby.
If you wear a face mask, the aerosol droplet you emit will get caught in your face mask, so you’re less likely to spread the virus to anyone else. In fact, one study carried out at Ludwig-Maximilians-University Hospital Munich and the University Hospital Erlangen used choir singers to find out which method reduced aerosol clouds most effectively. With no mask? Professional singers could create an aerosol cloud up to 1.4m in front of them.