Hi, I'm Wendy Zuckerman and you're listening to Science Vestus from Gimlet.

On today's show, what does the science tell us about wearing masks?

Like, should we be putting them on or not?

Back in March, the message about masks was pretty clear.

Healthcare workers needed them.

But for the rest of us, don't bother.

Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

Here at the CDC, they argue that having the average person wear an ordinary mask can be counterproductive.

The World Health Organization says unless you're sick, you don't need a mask.

But just a month later, by April, things started to change.

Like here in New York, we were told it's mandatory to wear masks.

All people in public, you must wear a mask.

The CDC was on the mask train too.

But they were like, don't wear medical masks.

What you should be wearing is a cloth mask.

And suddenly, it felt like Anthony Fauci was singing a different tune.

I think for the time being, it should be a very regular part of how we prevent the spread of infection.

These days, there's such a push behind cloth masks, but even the surgeon general is putting out tutorials on how to whip one up at home.

Here's how you can make your own base covering in a few easy steps with items you can find around the house.

It's that easy.

But is it that easy?

All this flip-flopping advice and confusion has landed us in a place where some people say, yes, masks are super important for getting this under control.

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