The United States is now urging people to wear face masks when they go outside amid growing evidence suggests that even a simple cloth mask can be an effective tool against the coronavirus if it is used correctly, according to health experts, EDNews reports citing Aljazeera.

The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reversed its long-standing position on face masks last week - telling Americans they should now wear one when they go outside.  

Much of the confusion has come from a continuing global debate as to how the virus is spread through the air, as well as which masks are most effective - between the N95 respirator and surgical masks favoured by medical personnel or the more ordinary dust masks and cloth face coverings. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) continues to recommend that masks are only needed by people displaying COVID-19 symptoms such as coughing and sneezing, those starting to feel sick and “pre-symptomatic”, or caring for the sick, emphasising that masks must be disposed of properly. 

One reason is that mask use can easily backfire if mishandled, according to Dr Dale Fisher, an infectious disease physician and chair of the WHO Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network.