Is it better to wear an N95 mask or a cloth mask right now?
Health experts suggest increasing protection against the highly contagious omicron variant by wearing stronger masks, such as N95 or KN95 type masks.
The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently updated its guidance to recommend the types of masks used by healthcare workers, but it also noted that it’s important to choose a mask that fits well and that you will wear regularly.
Previously, the CDC had stated that N95 masks should be reserved for health care workers due to supply shortages. There is a special category of N95 surgical masks that are not generally available for sale to the public and, according to the CDC, should continue to be reserved for health care facilities.
N95 masks fit more closely to your face than cloth masks and are made of a special material designed to block 95% of harmful particles. The fibers are closer together than in cloth masks and have an electrostatic charge that attracts molecules so they stick to the mask instead of passing through it.