A A

HALIFAX, N.S. —

Surgical masks likely won't stop you from contracting the coronavirus, but that's not stopping some people worried about the risk from buying up as many as they can find.

The Walmart locations on Mumford Road and Chain Lake Drive have been out of masks for nearly 10 days. Store employees are unsure when they'll restock.

Some customers have been looking elsewhere to buy them in bulk in case of shortages.

Joan Thompson, 59, said she searched two weeks ago for surgical masks in major stores but couldn't find any until Monday.

Marty Udall, a minister at the Dartmouth Church of Christ, experienced the SARS outbreak in 2003 while living in Toronto. He said wearing surgical masks “can compound the problem.”

Experts are warning the public against using masks, stating that they may actually do more harm than good.

“Wearing surgical masks can increase the risk of infection,” Nova Scotia's chief medical officer Dr. Robert Strang said.

“I don't recommend (it) at all.”

Strang said there's little evidence to support that surgical masks protect people from respiratory viral diseases like influenza and the coronavirus.

He cited studies that show wearing surgical masks increase the risk of people infecting themselves.

When someone coughs or sneezes, the virus settles on a surface like a railing or countertop. If they put their hand on that surface and then to their face, they're spreading the virus to themselves. “People are more likely to touch their face when they're constantly adjusting their mask,” Strang said.

The best way to protect yourself from the virus is through “good, frequent handwashing,” he said.

When coughing or sneezing, Strang advised people to use a tissue or to cough into their elbow.

Surgical masks are better at keeping your virus from infecting others, Strang said.

If someone is exhibiting symptoms like coughing or fever, it's recommended they stay at home and limit contact with people. If they must go outside, wearing a surgical mask could help prevent the virus from spreading to those around them.

RELATED: