[yahoo.com]
People no longer laugh at me when I wear a mask as they did 20+ years ago. Story of my life. Folks laughing at me for being "odd" which has served me well. The face mask kept me from inhaling the smog of second & 3rd hand burning tobacco, the human smoke stacks caused prior to our GREAT PRESIDENT CLINTON outlawing ALL smoking in federal buildings. The mask also kept my hands from touching my face unconsciously, skin to skin, another mode of transmission.
But it could also harbor germs.
Lots of germs. Everywhere all the time on everything continuously. But the contamination on my hand will not touch my skin, nose, etc. It is hand to face that is an alternate path for pathogens.