Maybe minimal protection. However, that doesn't mean it will prevent spread among large populations. There's just no evidence of that. Mask wearing is very common in Asia, and the virus still spread like wildfire there.
Also, I believe the small benefit of minimal protection a cloth mask may provide is negated by the fact that 99% of people don't use them properly. They touch their face and mask many times a minute. Infection can easily be spread that way. Some people don't have them over their nose, some people pull them up and down constantly, some people don't store or wash them properly. The are all reason the WHO still recommends against masks for everyone.
Covering your cough/sneeze with a tissue or arm is going to do the same thing a mask would, without all the inconvenience and constant impediment to breathing.
Maybe minimal protection. However, that doesn't mean it will prevent spread among large populations. There's just no evidence of that. Mask wearing is very common in Asia, and the virus still spread like wildfire there.
Also, I believe the small benefit of minimal protection a cloth mask may provide is negated by the fact that 99% of people don't use them properly. They touch their face and mask many times a minute. Infection can easily be spread that way. Some people don't have them over their nose, some people pull them up and down constantly, some people don't store or wash them properly. The are all reason the WHO still recommends against masks for everyone.
Covering your cough/sneeze with a tissue or arm is going to do the same thing a mask would, without all the inconvenience and constant impediment to breathing.