This is an uncharacteristic post. But I realize that a lot of people are looking for information like this. So I am sharing what I’ve learned on this topic.

For all the polarization and argument over masking, there’s much less discussion or guidance about what kind of mask you should wear. At the beginning of the pandemic any mask was better than none. High quality masks needed by health care workers and first responders were in short supply. But that hasn’t been the case for a very long time. High filtration masks are widely available at relatively low cost. And you should be wearing one.

Cloth masks are better than nothing. But that should not be your standard. Even if you’ve got it hostage-taking tight around your face it’s still providing much less protection than a real filtration mask. Surgical masks are fine. But a high filtration mask provides a much higher level of protection than those too. You now have the ability to give yourself a high level of protection even if you’re somewhere where others aren’t masking or aren’t masking well.

What’s A Good Mask?