Unmasking these Masks This whole face mask craze is total BS! As a career critical care RN it drives me nuts to see people out in society wearing these masks. To me, it just highlights their ignorance and sheepish behavior First of all, the cloth or paper masks we wear in the hospitals are solely to prevent us, the nurse, from  infecting an immunocompromised patient or contaminating a sterile field or semi-sterile procedure such as peritoneal catheter procedures with any bacterial contaminants. They do nothing to prevent viral spread or provide protection to the nurse.  Both bacteria and viruses can enter the human body via breaks in the skin, as in cuts or open wounds or through mucus membranes in mouths, nostrils or eyes. In fact most colds, which are viruses, are transmitted right down the tear ducts of your eyes by way of tactile contact. So a mask over your nose and mouth does not prevent the ocular entry of viruses. Hospital nurses and personnel are" FIT tested" annually for a skin tight type of mask to be worn for patients with TB or other diseases that could infect the staff. Usually in coordination with a negative pressure isolation room. Not adaptable to society at large. All these masks being advertised and promoted state they are "antibacterial". In other words NOT "anti-viral" Useless, totally useless. This whole mask wearing hoax is either to perpetuate the hoax or a lame attempt to assimilate us further to a Chinese model.