Love them or hate them, face masks were once the mandatory, and even though the mandate may have lifted, some of us are still choosing to wear them.

But if you're the only one wearing a mask on your packed morning bus or in the supermarket, will it stop you from getting infected?

Head of epidemiological modelling at Monash University's School of Public Health, James Trauer says they're unlikely to be completely effective — but it's better than nothing.

"It is also quite dependent on how the mask is worn and many other factors, such as the amount of COVID around in the community and the setting you visit," he says.

"However, it is likely that the greatest effect is when the infector [the person with COVID] is wearing one.

"This is because wearing any sort of mask should markedly reduce the number of larger droplets they expel.

"This is one of the strongest justifications for requiring everyone in the population to wear a mask — particularly indoors where most transmission occurs."

Want to know more? You can continue reading this story from Liana Walker below.