“There are a variety of masks but the 3 basic ones are: surgical, N95 and cloth,” Dr. Robert Mordkin is Chief Medical Officer for LetsGetChecked tells SheKnows. “As a general statement, masks help reduce the risk of infection (including COVID-19) but decreasing the amount of droplets released into the surrounding air when the wearer is talking, coughing or sneezing. The N95 masks, in particular, can filter out both large and small particles or droplets…Countries that have aggressively employed the widespread and consistent use of masks have successfully reduced their rates of community COVID-19 infections. For a mask to be useful, the wearer should constantly have their mask covering BOTH their nose AND mouth.”