The masks are useless. Standing in crowds is really dangerous.Good way to get infected.
The masks are not useless. They have some protective value. It helps to have eye protection as well.
While it is true that simple N95 masks are not a panacea, they do accomplish a few things: first, they DO filter out some germs (whether coronavirus or not); they also serve as a constant reminder to people NOT to touch their face, especially their nose or mouth, and that if they are going to do so then they should wash their hands. Finally, if someone sick is wearing the mask and they sneeze or cough, less (not none, to be sure, but LESS) of whatever they have is going out in an aerosol to infect others.
So they’re not perfect by any means, but they ARE a whole lot better than nothing.
The best thing that people can do is:
1) Stay away from crowds;
2) Wash hands frequently and thoroughly;
3) Get enough sleep; and
4) Take a bunch of vitamins to rev up your immune system.
People do those things, and the spread of this disease (or any other) will be severely limited - and for those that get it, if they’re immune system is stronger, they will recover sooner and in larger numbers.