There has been a lot of controversies since the COVID-19 pandemic began regarding wearing face masks. In the beginning, the question was whether we should wear them or should we not—no one could quite come up with a clear rule.

Since the beginning, we’ve learned a lot. And now, the overall consensus since then has been that we absolutely should be wearing masks to protect the health of others around us. Now, it’s considered a totally normal part of anyone’s wardrobe and you can’t leave the house without one.

However, it was never actually made clear whether you’re protecting yourself from the virus while wearing a mask—just that you’re protecting others.

Well, finally, we have some definitive results, and they’re good: Wearing a mask does, in fact, help protect you, in addition to others, from getting COVID-19, according to new research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).ti

“The relationship between source control and personal protection is likely complementary and possibly synergistic, so that individual benefit increases with increasing community mask use,” the CDC said.

According to a number of studies, cloth masks, in particular, are able to block incoming droplets from others in addition to blocking droplets that may be expelled from the mask wearer’s mouth. And if you want to be really safe, the higher the cloth layer count, the better protection.

The CDC also concluded that if more places adopted a mask-wearing rule, we may be able to prevent future lockdowns from occurring.

“Adopting universal masking policies can help avert future lockdowns, especially if combined with other non-pharmaceutical interventions such as social distancing, hand hygiene, and adequate ventilation,” they stated.

Do you wear a mask when you go out in public? Did you know that mask-wearing is a two-way street, not only protecting others, but yourself as well?