appealing this week s court ruling that struck out the federal government s mask mandate for travelers. some airlines and transit agencies swiftly made masks optional after the ruling. passengers on those carriers are now able to decide how much risk they want to take when they travel. we asked cnn s jacqueline howard what many troflers are wondering, does wearing a mask now really protect you? the short answer is yes. wearing a mask scan still give you some protection even if you re the only one masked. but how much protection depends on the mask type. one study released by cdc earlier this year, wearing a cloth mask was associated with a 56% lower odds of testing positive for covid-19. wearing a surgical mask was associated with a 66% lower odds. for the most protection, wearing an n95 or kn95 was associated