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Would wearing a face mask really protect you from the coronavirus? There is a lot of hype around this new virus and people aren’t quite sure what to do to protect themselves. An expert on the subject gives her opinion on how to protect yourself and should you be wearing a mask or not.

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According to the NYTimes.com, Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal, who lived in China and covered the SARS outbreak in 2002, says that most of the time, the answer is . . . probably not.  You’re more likely to get a virus by touching something contaminated, like a doorknob.  So the best thing you can do is just wash your hands more.

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Dr. Rosenthal feels that its overkill to put on a mask every time you leave home. Here’s why…

1.  Things like the coronavirus and the flu don’t spread that easily outdoors.  So unless you’re in a confined space like a bus or plane, it’s not really necessary.

2.  Even if your mask did block it, the virus would just stick to the mask.  So if you weren’t careful, it would transfer to your hands when you took if off.

3.  Once a mask does get contaminated, it has to be thrown out.  And there’s no way to tell if it’s contaminated or not.  So people who wear them should be wearing a new mask every day.  Otherwise it’s kind of pointless.

She says there is one thing you can do to protect yourself though:  wash your HANDS more.  Even if it’s airborne, you’re more likely to get a virus by touching something contaminated, like a doorknob.  So washing up frequently is important.