Experts seem to agree. If you are not a health care worker, do not buy N95 masks, long considered the best of protective masks. They will not help you much, and they are in extremely short supply for the people who need them most, health care workers trying to protect themselves from COVID 19 while saving lives. However, there is still debate over whether everyone should wear some kind of face covering when they leave their homes. Staying home and limiting contact with groups of people remain the best ways to stop the spread of the new coronavirus.