According to the Aerosol Science and Technology Journal, "ordinary speech aerosolizes significant quantities of respiratory particles," and recent studies are finding the Sars-CoV-2 virus to be extremely resilient in aerosol form compared to similar coronaviruses. Wearing a face mask, however, can reduce the number of droplets each of us emit when we speak.
Chris Kenyon of the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp says that one of the key points to note about limiting the spread of COVID-19 is that "the countries that flattened the curve used masks in public," and as people come out of lockdown and start mingling again, wearing masks in public can have a large impact on keeping infection rates down.
According to the CDC, cloth face coverings should:
⦿ Fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face ⦿ Be secured with ties or ear loops ⦿ Include multiple layers of fabric ⦿ Allow for breathing without restriction ⦿ Be able to be laundered and machine dried without damage or change to shape