Effective March 10, 2021, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed an executive order superseding the previous Executive Order GA-29, which required Texans to wear a mask or face covering. The order stated: [No] person may be required by any jurisdiction to wear or to mandate the wearing of a face covering.

Are there people who shouldn’t wear face coverings during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Yes. Children under 2 years old should not wear masks or cloth face coverings. Also, anyone who has trouble breathing or who is unconscious, incapacitated, or unable to remove the mask or cloth face covering without help should not wear one.

Do I still need to stay at least 6 feet away from people if wearing a mask to avoid getting COVID-19?

Wearing a mask or cloth face covering is just a part of your overall protection plan to keep you and others from spreading and getting COVID-19. Likewise, social distancing, or staying 6 feet away from others, is an additional public health measure to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Vaccination is the best tool we have to protect people and communities from COVID-19. But vaccinated or not, wearing a mask in indoor public spaces can help protect you and everyone close to you. State and CDC mask recommendations are available for schools, public transportation, and healthcare settings.

Should I wear a mask or cloth face covering in public during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Wearing a mask or cloth face covering may prevent the person wearing it from spreading COVID-19 to the people around them. A mask or cloth face covering also offers some protection to the person who is wearing it. Sometimes infected people don’t have symptoms (sometimes referred to as asymptomatic). So even if you don’t feel sick, wearing a mask or cloth face covering may help prevent you from getting COVID-19 and spreading it to those around you.

To be effective, the mask or cloth face covering should cover your nose and your mouth and fit snugly against the sides of your face.

Do I have to wear a mask every time I leave the house?

You should be wearing a mask outside if:
• It is difficult to maintain the recommended 6-foot social distancing from others (such as going to the grocery store or pharmacy or walking on a busy street or in a crowded neighborhood)
• If required to by law. Many areas now have mandatory masking regulations when in public

Covid-19 — Update on Vaccines and The State of the Pandemic with Paul Offit and George Rutherford

25 related questions found

How often can I reuse a facemask during the COVID-19 pandemic?

● At this time, there is not known a maximum number of uses (donnings) the same facemask could be re-used.
● The facemask should be removed and discarded if soiled, damaged, or hard to breathe through.
● Not all facemasks can be re-used.
- Facemasks that fasten to the provider via ties may not be able to be undone without tearing and should be considered only for extended use, rather than re-use.
- Facemasks with elastic ear hooks may be more suitable for re-use.

What happens if I don’t wear a mask in an indoor area or a public transportation during the COVID-19 pandemic?

On conveyances with no outdoor spaces, operators of public transportation conveyances must refuse to board anyone not wearing a mask that completely covers the mouth and nose. On conveyances with outdoor areas, operators must refuse to allow entry to indoor areas to anyone not wearing a mask.

Why is CDC recommending wearing non-medical-grade masks during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Medical facemasks and N-95 respirators should continue to be conserved for healthcare workers. So, do your part and save medical-grade equipment for healthcare workers and first responders.

How do cloth face coverings and face shields protect against COVID-19?

Cloth face coverings and face shields are types of source control that provide a barrier between droplets produced from a potentially infected person and other people, reducing the likelihood of transmitting the virus.

How should you clean a cloth face covering?

Wash your cloth face covering after each use how you would normally wash laundry. Have a few on hand to reduce washing.

How far away should I stay from people who are not fully vaccinated for COVID-19?

In general, CDC recommends people who are not fully vaccinated maintain physical distance of at least 6 feet from other people who are not in their household.

What is considered a close contact of someone with COVID-19?

For COVID-19, a close contact is anyone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period (for example, three individual 5-minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes).

Can you spread COVID-19 if you are vaccinated?

Vaccinated People Can Transmit the Coronavirus, but It's Still More Likely If You're Unvaccinated. COVID-19 vaccines continue to protect against severe illness but do not entirely block transmission. Fully vaccinated people are also less likely to contract the coronavirus than unvaccinated people.

Does wearing a mask harm your health?

No, wearing a mask will not harm your health even if you are sick with a cold or allergies. If your mask gets too moist just make sure you are changing it regularly.

Does wearing a mask increase your CO2 intake?

Cloth masks and surgical masks do not provide an airtight fit across the face. The CO2 escapes into the air through the mask when you breathe out or talk. CO2 molecules are small enough to easily pass through mask material. In contrast, the respiratory droplets that carry the virus that causes COVID-19 are much larger than CO2, so they cannot pass as easily through a properly designed and properly worn mask.

Does wearing a face mask cause dizziness and headaches?

Wearing a cloth mask will not cause dizziness, lightheadedness, and headaches (also known as hypercapnia or carbon dioxide toxicity). Carbon dioxide passes through the mask, it does not build up inside the mask.

Can face shields help in preventing the spread of COVID-19?

Face shields are not as effective at protecting you or the people around you from respiratory droplets. Face shields have large gaps below and alongside the face, where your respiratory droplets may escape and reach others around you and will not protect you from respiratory droplets from others.

How does a surgical mask help to prevent contracting COVID-19?

If worn properly, a surgical mask is meant to help block large-particle droplets, splashes, sprays, or splatter that may contain germs (viruses and bacteria), keeping it from reaching your mouth and nose. Surgical masks may also help reduce exposure of your saliva and respiratory secretions to others.

Does wearing a cloth mask over a medical one reduce exposure to COVID-19 more than wearing just one mask?

Based on experiments that measured the filtration efficiencies of various cloth masks and a medical procedure mask (6), it was estimated that the better fit achieved by combining these two mask types, specifically a cloth mask over a medical procedure mask, could reduce a wearer's exposure by >90%.

Does CDC recommend people to use surgical masks or N95 respirators?

The cloth face coverings recommended by CDC are not surgical masks or N95 respirators. Surgical masks and N95s are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for health care workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by CDC.

Do N95 masks offer more protection than a medical masks during the COVID-19 pandemic?

An N95 mask is a type of respirator. It offers more protection than a medical mask does because it filters out both large and small particles when the wearer inhales.

What kind of mask should healthcare workers wear during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Called N95 respirators, these medical devices help prevent exposure to tiny droplets that can be suspended in the air. Health care workers who wear them undergo a fit-test to find the right make, model and size to ensure a tight seal. N95 respirators should be reserved for health care providers and first responders.

Can someone get COVID-19 more than once?

Yes. Getting COVID-19 (or any infection) more than once is called reinfection. Those who have recovered from COVID-19 may have some immune protection from reinfection for a few months, but it is possible that the recovered person could get COVID-19 again if exposed after that time. Data suggest that immunity from COVID-19 may last three months, or about 90 days.

The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed. Another good way to prevent infection is to get the vaccine.

Can the COVID-19 virus spread through drinking water?

The COVID-19 virus has not been detected in treated drinking water. Conventional water treatment methods used in most municipal drinking water systems use filters and disinfectants to remove or kill germs, like the virus that causes COVID-19. The Environmental Protection Agency regulates water treatment plants to ensure that treated water is safe to drink.

How long can COVID-19 linger in the air?

The smallest very fine droplets, and aerosol particles formed when these fine droplets rapidly dry, are small enough that they can remain suspended in the air for minutes to hours.