COVID hot take
A normal cloth mask will not protect you. If you want to protect yourself, you need a proper N95 or better respirator.
This does *not* mean you should not wear a normal cloth mask. If your choice is a cloth mask or nothing, WEAR THE GOD DAMNED CLOTH MASK. THE FUCKING THINGS WORK AS A GOD DAMN GROUP EFFORT.
Seriously, we could have had this fucking pandemic under control if everyone had just worn the god damn masks in the first place.
COVID hot take, subtoot
And if you are relaying the first part of that *without* relaying the second part, you're just as bad as anyone out there not wearing a mask. Yes, individually, cloth masks are not protective. But cloth masks do have a fucking protective effect over a group. In particular, they absolutely have a protective effect when a sick person wears one, an effect only made more helpful when *everyone* wears one.
re: COVID hot take, subtoot
And, again, this is not to say you shouldn't wear an N95 or better. Properly fit-tested and all that, they will help you avoid becoming ill. If the output is also filtered, then they keep you and everyone else safe. This is also not to say masks are an end-all-be-all to stopping COVID. Social distance, stay home, etc., etc. But please also wear *something* over your mouth and nose!