8 common annoyances that come with wearing a face mask — and how to solve them responsibly

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• The CDC recommends wearing a cloth face cover in public to prevent community transmission of COVID-19.
• Cloth face coverings mostly help protect other people from your germs, which is especially important since a significant portion of people can transmit the virus while being asymptomatic or presymptomatic.
• But, wearing masks in public does come with its annoyances. Below, we offer solutions for a few of the most common ones — like foggy glasses and ear straps that are too tight.

Wearing a face mask in public is firstly about social responsibility — protecting others from your germs — more than protecting you from them, especially as the virus is thought to primarily spread from person-to-person. Even if you don't feel sick, you could easily be one of the asymptomatic or presymptomatic people with the coronavirus that feels completely fine. A simple, well-fitted mask can be very effective at trapping droplets from your coughs and sneezes that may be dangerous to others, a study has shown.

But wearing masks all the time can come with its own related annoyances — like foggy glasses, not being able to eat or drink in public, and battles with kids or spouses about who needs to wear them. So, we put together a list of common issues as well as solutions to help make it a bit easier.

It should also be noted that simply wearing a face mask doesn't negate the need to practice the CDC's other prevention guidelines like washing your hands and practicing social distancing.