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As much as we miss the Before Times—when we didn’t have to wear masks and could go to crowded places and travel and throw parties and attend concerts and eat at the same table as acquaintances and strangers—those times aren’t coming back soon. No matter how good the news on vaccines might be, hang on to your masks. Read more...

We’ve covered a bunch of anti-fog hacks here ever since masks became commonplace, but a doctor recently tweeted an even simpler one than folding the top of the mask, using a piece of tissue, or coating your lenses with anti-fog spray. It’s a band-aid.Read more...

A recent study of mask wearing in Denmark is being shared as if it proves that masks don’t protect us. That’s not what the study actually says. Read more...

I never minded the feeling of a mask against my lips until I wore one to the gym. Gasping for breath between the clean and the jerk, as one does, I kept involuntarily sucking cotton fabric into my mouth. Not fun. Read more...

Cases are climbing exponentially. If you didn’t already know someone who’s had COVID, you will soon. And as a virus becomes more common, it also becomes more likely to infect people who were following precautions.Read more...

We’ve known since close to the start of the pandemic that wearing a mask protects other people from your own respiratory droplets. But shouldn’t masks protect the wearer, as well? The science wasn’t available to answer that question at first, but it’s probably true. The CDC recently updated their mask advice to note…Read more...

The pandemic has made us question everything, laundry included. No longer are dirty clothes limited to coming off in the bedroom or bathroom; now we have to deal with masks that are removed on our way home from outings as well. Read more...

N95 respirator masks are more effective at stopping coronavirus-containing droplets than disposable surgical or cloth masks. But since they’re in such high demand, there’s a booming market in counterfeit and mislabeled masks. Recently, authorities in Hong Kong seized 100,000 fake N95s that they say were intended for…Read more...

I’m not saying that we, as parents, should always use our kids to do our dirty work. I’m saying that it would be pleasing to see a four-year-old walk through the grocery store or past a crowded restaurant and stop to point and loudly proclaim, “Mommy, why isn’t that person wearing a mask?”Read more...

Masks protect us from the coronavirus, indoors as well as out. But do you really need a mask outdoors? In some cases, you can go bare-faced, but you should still have a mask in your pocket just in case. Let’s talk about the factors you should consider when deciding if a mask makes sense outdoors. (When in doubt, wear…Read more...

If you are living in a literal hellscape (as much of the western United States is at this point), you know that you can wear masks to protect yourself from coronavirus, and masks to protect yourself from the particulates in wildfire smoke. However: these are not necessarily the same masks.Read more...

Lanyards are often used to keep our most precious objects—keys, for example, or a whistle if you’re a coach or referee—safe and easily accessible. And there is nothing our kids need more now to keep safe and easily accessible than their masks. That’s why, especially if they are young or prone to losing things, a mask…Read more...

I live in New York City, where, I am pleased to report, the vast majority of people wear masks when out and about. This very likely has something to do with why we’ve managed to flatten the COVID-19 curve and keep it flat—squashing our daily infection rate from a terrifying high of 71% in the early days of the…Read more...

There’s a new study claiming that neck gaiters like Buffs are worse than not wearing a mask at all. I’m not convinced that this study should be taken at face value, but it’s also reasonable to be suspicious of Buffs, bandanas, and other face coverings that aren’t designed to do the job of a mask. Read more...

Facial recognition technology raises ethical dilemmas and privacy concerns. Is it okay that our phones, computers, and social media apps not only recognize us, but also collect and store data about our faces? These concerns grow as the tech becomes more accurate, and more government agencies, private businesses, and …Read more...

As that anti-masker having a tantrum in a Panera pointed out, you can smell a fart even though it passes through the fabric of your pants. Her point seems to be that fabric cannot block air, and thus masks cannot block things that are carried in air. She’s wrong, but let’s examine why. Read more...

It’s more comfortable to go bare-faced than to wear a mask. And many of us are not used to wearing them, so one’s first experience of mask-wearing—in summer perhaps, in the middle of a pandemic—may feel stifling. But relax: the mask isn’t actually restricting your breathing. Promise.Read more...

You may be nervous to enter a doctor’s office right now. If you aren’t even supposed to be in a restaurant or classroom, how can you go to an enclosed space with other sick people?Read more...