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The current advice on what homemade face coverings do, how to wear them and how they can and can’t help you prevent COVID-19 compared with other masks.

Face masks that you make at home or buy online are believed to provide a degree of protection against getting sick from the coronavirus, in as much as it can keep larger particles from spraying into the air when you cough, spit or sneeze. But what about the tinier particles that many homemade masks and coverings aren’t as good at stopping?

And why have attitudes changed so quickly, with wearing a face mask in public places even mandatory in some areas? Is it recommended to wear masks any time you go outside, or only in some places? Should you wear face masks even when lockdown lifts and cities reopen?

How can wearing nonmedical masks in public help?

For months, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended medical-grade face masks for people who were presumed to be or confirmed to be ill with COVID-19, as well as for medical care workers. But spiking cases across the US and especially in hotspots like New York, Rhode Island, Michigan, Louisiana and Arizonahave proven that current measures haven’t been strong enough to flatten the curve.

There’s also data that there may be some benefit to wearing a homemade mask in crowded places like the supermarket, versus no face covering at all. Social distancing and hand-washing are still paramount (more below).

Shortly after the CDC changed its recommendation to wear masks, American Lung Association Chief Medical Officer Dr. Albert Rizzo said this in an emailed statement:

— The wearing of the masks by all individuals can give some degree of barrier protection from respiratory droplets that are coughed or sneezed around them. Early reports show that the virus can live in droplets in the air for up to one to three hours after an infected individual has left an area. Covering your face will help prevent these droplets from getting into the air and infecting others.