Types of masks[edit]

In the COVID-19 pandemic, the governments recommend the use of face masks
with a main purpose for the general population: to avoid the contagion from infected
people to others. So the masks with exhalation valves are not recommended,
because they expel the breath of the wearer outwards, and an infected wearer
would transmit the viruses through the valve. A second purpose of the face masks
is to protect to each wearer from environments that can be infected, which can be
achieved by many models of masks.
Between the different types of face masks that have been recommended
throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with higher or lower effectivity, it is possible to
include:

 cloth face masks

 surgical masks (medical masks)
 uncertified face-covering dust masks.
 certified face-covering masks, considered respirators,
with certifications such as N95 and N99, and FFP.
 filtering respirators with certifications such as N95 and N99, and FFP.
 other respirators, including elastomeric respirators, some of which may also
be considered filtering masks.
 masks of any certification with exhalation valve, that will filter the external
air, but not the user's breath going outside.
There are some other types of personal protective equipment (PPE), as face
shields and medical goggles, that are sometimes used in conjunction with face
masks but are not recommended as a replacement. [2] Other kinds of PPE include
gloves, aprons, gowns, shoe covers and hair covers. [3]
There have been shortages of masks, which has led to the use of uncertified
masks, with a worse performance.[4]