[obituary_latte]

Those paper masks do little if anything to help the wearer from taking in anything. They do not filter the air—they are far too porous and loose-fitting to filter. They do help prevent the wearer from spreading their germs and touching nose/mouth as you said, but they are not an effective air filtration device.

[endorphone]

As mentioned by others, surgical masks don't filter, but N95 masks absolutely do and are what health care workers are being equipped with.

N95 masks just look like cheap little paper things that you stick on your face.

[obituary_latte]

No they don’t. N95 are solid looking and sometimes have a plastic square housing on the front [0] and surgical masks are paper and pleated [1]

[0] https://images.app.goo.gl/RZAgMSssThGJQrnf6

[1] https://images.app.goo.gl/fRW2dmSxUo1Lm1Dh8

[endorphone]

Yes, yes they do. I can find a million pictures of N95 masks that look just like a cheap little paper mask (not like surgical masks -- not rectangular. Just cheap and like it's made of paper similar to a paper filter).

https://cdn10.bigcommerce.com/s-rxcy1k/products/11668/images...

[obituary_latte]

Now you seem to be just arguing for arguments sake or you’re the kind of person who can’t ever admit to making a mistake or being wrong.

Your linked image in no way objectively looks “just like” cheap square pleated surgical masks. https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/LyoAAOSwMTFeMbmh/s-l300.png