Study after study has demonstrated that ordinary cloth masks of the kind people usually wear are effective at lowering the spread of the virus. Studies looking at populations that embraced masking v. those that did not have validated this.

1. You do not wear an ordinary mask to protect yourself, you wear it to keep from spreading the virus.
2. This works best if a large percentage of the population is doing it.
3. It also works best if it is combined with distancing and ordinary sanitizing.

So people wear masks to lower the spread of the virus--unless they are N95s they don't protect YOU.

BUT masking has been shown to be effective. It doesn't allow you to exhale the droplets carrying the virus. If many people in an area do this it always corresponds with a drop in cases.

Research? Well mostly in the Bucky forum, but going back weeks, article after article, including research articles and summaries of research, have been posted over and over and over. There is a constant flow of info on this.

Example. This one just happens to be from the Mayo Clinic. There's infinitely more on this.

Quote

. [www.mayoclinic.org]

Can face masks help slow the spread of the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that causes COVID-19? Yes. Face masks combined with other preventive measures, such as getting vaccinated, frequent hand-washing and physical distancing, can help slow the spread of the virus.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends fabric masks for the general public. People who haven’t been fully vaccinated should continue to wear face masks in indoor public places and outdoors where there is a high risk of COVID-19 transmission, such as crowded events or large gatherings.