@Anomander Unless you're wearing N95 or N99 masks, the mask won't protect YOU. What it does is protect the PUBLIC from YOU if you're a carrier, assuming you're wearing it properly. The Japanese have traditionally worn masks for exactly this purpose for years. This is why the masks help in Asian countries where the idea of protecting the public good is ingrained in the population, like in Japan, China, both Koreas, and Singapore, but fail everywhere else.