Masks are currently in short supply. At this point it's more important for medical personnel to have access to masks, than it is for individuals. Because if the

Masks are currently in short supply. At this point it's more important for medical personnel to have access to masks, than it is for individuals. Because if the hospitals get overwhelmed, we're all screwed — this being a classic tragedy of the commons. Also it's pretty hard to wear a mask correctly. I've seen plenty of people wearing surgical masks with their nose out. If you aren't going to wear that mask correctly, then what's the freaking point? And even if you can train yourself to wear a mask correctly, to properly dispose of it, etc, the price of masks, even surgical ones, has gone through the roof and even if you can afford to wear a new one each day or two, the supply of masks isn't reliable. So I'm afraid that at this point, even if you have a cough, the best you can do is to isolate yourself, because masks are in short supply and expensive.