MEMPHIS, Tennessee —
Should you or shouldn't wear a mask to help protect against the coronavirus? At first, doctors told the public not to wear masks, that it didn't make a difference. Only a person who is sick should wear them.
Then Sunday, out of the blue, the city of Memphis issued an advisory that the elderly, people with medical conditions, and immunocompromised should wear them and those in the general public who want to wear them should do so as well. Monday, the Shelby County Health Department issued a similar directive.
One local doctor says not so fast when it comes to wearing masks, saying there is no proof it will help.
"I would say per the CDC and the WHO, there is still no evidence or controlled data that would say there is added protection walking outside wearing a mask, " said Dr. Stephen Threlkeld, infectious disease specialist.
Dr. Threlkeld said he doesn't have anything against masks and understands why people would want to be on the safe side and wear one. That being said, he warns people that improperly wearing masks is a real concern. He said it may cause you to touch your face more often or be ineffective because you don't have it properly on your face.
"There is a real risk that we can see with someone wearing a mask and wearing it improperly," said Threlkeld.
Threlkeld says when it comes to masks, the CDC has not issued an advisory that the general population wear them. During a news conference Monday, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said the advisory was issued at the suggestion of local doctors and medical experts on the city's COVID-19 task force.
"Every decision we make is guided by the medical experts. The CDC is one of these but we rely on Dr. Fauci as another but we have done several things beyond what the CDC recommends," said Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland.
If you are going to wear a mask, experts say make sure your nose and mouth is fit snugly around your face.