WORLD — The rapid spread of the Coronavirus in cities in China has everyone wearing surgical masks out on the streets.

But does wearing surgical masks actually protect us from catching deadly diseases?

According to BBC News, more than 80 million masks were sold on Chinese online retailer, Taobao, on January 20 and 21 following the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus.

However, wearing facemasks alone is not the most efficient way to avoid transmission of viruses or prevent the contraction of them.

Talking to BBC News, Dr. David Carrington of St George's, University of London explained that surgical masks do not provide sufficient protection from airborne viruses as they have no filter and do not shield the wearer's eyes.

They do however protect against and prevent the spray of coughing and sneezing. They also provide limited protection against hand-to-mouth viral transmission.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the best way to prevent the current coronavirus outbreak is to compound wearing a facemask with the following actions:
covering your mouth when coughing or sneezing, washing hands often for at least 20 seconds, avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, avoid sharing items that could be infected and consistently monitoring for coronavirus symptoms.

So far there have been 18 deaths in China and over 600 cases of coronaviruses detected globally. So mask up and wash up people.