Question: I am a healthcare worker who previously provided direct patient care without a mask. Why do I need one now?

Answer:

OSHA recommends that, during the ongoing pandemic and associated community spread of COVID-19, all workers wear face coverings to prevent the spread of their respiratory droplets. This is because people can spread SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, by coughing, sneezing, or talking—even if they do not feel sick. Because of other exposures in healthcare settings, healthcare workers may need to wear surgical masks to prevent or reduce the risk of this transmission, while also protecting themselves from exposure to patients' potentially infectious respiratory droplets and other splashes or sprays of body fluids.

Healthcare workers and employers should also consult OSHA and CDC guidance to find out if they need additional types of personal protective equipment. OSHA recommends that healthcare workers with exposure to suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients wear PPE ensembles that include N95 or better filtering facepiece respirators. For healthcare workers providing patient care to other patients (i.e., those who are known suspected of having or known to have COVID-19) in communities with ongoing community transmission, surgical masks can be used in conjunction with face shields or goggles to protect the wearer from exposure to others' respiratory droplets and splashes or sprays of other body fluids that can spread diseases. In these instances, the combination of surgical masks with face shields or goggles can reduce the risk of exposure to the virus when caring for people who may spread COVID-19 without knowing they have it. For some activities, including aerosol-generating procedures, healthcare workers likely need N95 or better filtering facepieces respirators. N95 or better respirators should be used in accordance with a respiratory protection program.