Face Masks: What Doctors Say About Their Role In Containing Coronavirus
NPRFace Masks: What Doctors Say About Their Role In Containing Coronavirus Enlarge this image toggle caption Science Photo Library/ Getty Images; South China Morning Post/Getty Images Science Photo Library/ Getty Images; South China Morning Post/Getty Images As the coronavirus continues to spread, officials in China are urging citizens to wear masks in public to stop the spread of the virus — and cities in China as well as other parts of Asia are reportedly running out of face masks. Health care workers who use these respirators are required by law to undergo an annual fit test — a check to make sure the mask forms a tight seal on the wearer's face so that contaminated air can't leak in. But Schaffner says the scientific evidence that "there might be a benefit for people in the community wearing face masks is very, very meager. But Clarence Tam, a public health researcher at the National University of Singapore, notes that because wearing masks can be uncomfortable, "the discomfort might make you actually touch your face more."