With California lifting nearly all COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks in most public settings — but health experts say there are some good reasons for continuing to do so.

“Unvaccinated folks, or people who are in subgroups like kids or immuno-compromised individuals, or even people who got vaccinated outside of the country, may want to wear a mask in those settings,” Chin-Hong said.

“If we are at some wheezy old theater that’s completely packed with people who look like they might not be vaccinated, that might cause me to put on a mask,” said Dr.

“A regular surgical mask is going to help protect the wearer from exposure to allergens,” said Chin-Hong, who did not take part in the study.

Standard surgical masks can filter out particles larger than 3 micrometers, while an N95 mask can block particles as small as 0.04 micrometers, the researchers said.

“We don’t want to shame people for wearing a mask,” Chin-Hong said.

If you don’t want to wear a mask, it’s fine.

If you want to wear a mask, wear a mask