The United States is considering joining a growing number of European countries in advising the broader use of face masks to curb the coronavirus pandemic.
While wearing face masks is a common practice across East Asia, the World Health Organization and most Western governments do not recommend its use unless you're sick, citing a shortage affecting even medical workers.
But a number of scientists have said that even homemade masks can offer adequate protection and help curtail the spread of the virus by blocking the droplets from people who may have contracted the coronavirus without knowing it.
A group of scientists in Hong Kong has developed a face mask that can be made with paper towels, facial tissue, tape, rubber bands, metal wire or twist ties, a pair of scissors and a hole puncher.
The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is believed to be transmitted primarily through respiratory droplets with diameters of 5 μm (5,000nm or 0.005mm). But the World Health Organization says airborne transmission through smaller particles may also be possible.
Lab tests showed the masks could provide 90% of the function of regular surgical masks in blocking tiny aerosol (a diameter between 20nm to 200nm), according to the Consumer Council in Hong Kong.
DIY face masks: a step-by-step guide1. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and clean your items2. Put one piece of paper towel on top of another3. Place a piece of facial tissue, which will act as the bottom layer of the mask, on top of the two pieces of paper towels4. Cut the stack of paper into two, and use the paper tape to seal off the two sides of the mask5. Make two holes at each sealed side with the punch6. Attach a metal wire with tape to the top edge of the mask to make the nose bridge wire7. Tie four rubber bands through the holes on the mask's sides
Homemade masks are common in the Czech Republic, the first European country to mandate the use of face coverings in public.
The measure was followed by at least four more European countries " Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovakia, Austria and Bulgaria.
In the US, which now has the highest number of confirmed coronavirus infections, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they are considering changing their recommendation that only those who feel unwell need to wear a mask, citing growing research on the asymptomatic transmission of the virus.
As the use of face masks has become more popular around the world, internet users have shared all kinds of mask-making methods online, using material ranging from old T-shirts to cotton fabric and even Coca Cola bottles.
When asked about the shortage of masks during his Tuesday coronavirus briefing, US President Donald Trump suggested that people could use their scarves.
"A lot of people have scarves, and you can use a scarf," Trump said. "And my feeling is if people want to do it, there's certainly no harm to it."
Public health experts are still debating the effectiveness of such coverings. While some argue that masks provide certain protection against pathogen-loaded droplets, others have suggested mask use makes people leave their homes and touch their faces more often.
Additional reporting by Cannix Yau.
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