FAQ n.115287

A non-medical face mask (or ‘community’ mask) include various forms of self-made and commercially available masks, including re-usable face covers made of cloth, other textiles and other disposable materials. They are not standardised and are not intended for use in healthcare settings or by healthcare professionals. Non-medical face masks are in use and recommended in some EU/EEA countries. Limited indirect evidence from experimental studies has shown that non-medical face masks may decrease the release to the environment of respiratory droplets, although there was conflicting evidence about the relative efficiency of medical versus non-medical face masks.