Surgical masks against coronavirus

It is now common for people to wear a mask when out in public. Can surgical masks really protect you though?  

 If you are really worried about safeguarding yourself from the latest coronavirus from China, it seems that wearing a mask is the least you can do, but just wearing one certainly isn’t an adequate precautionary measure on its own.

What kind of mask you wear, how you fit that mask to your face, and also how you handle the mask are significant determining factors as to how likely it is for you to avoid infection.

Likewise, washing your hands in a prolonged and correct manner with soap is just as important as wearing a mask, because not being sufficiently diligent or vigilant could totally negate the effectiveness of wearing a mask in the first place. 

Read this article for more insight into how you can avoid unnecessarily exposing yourself to infection (and pollution).
 
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/31/our-face-mask-future-do-they-really-help-beat-flu-coronavirus-and-pollution