And it doesn't have to be sneezing, it can be talking (especially loud talking), singing, whistling, laughing, or breathing deeply (especially through one's mouth).
Of course the droplets won't go as far as with a cough or sneeze, but they could still end up on a faucet, elevator button, keyboard, phone, light switch, countertop, dinner plates, drinking glasses, cutlery, gym equipment, scissors, church pew, etc., someone (maybe an at risk person), touches that object, and then touches his nose, mouth, or eyes, and they get sick, maybe really sick (enough to be on a ventilator), or even die.
All because somebody else refused to wear a surgical mask (not to wear a mask is our God given right as Americans, we are free and have the freedom to do as we chose, like it says in the Declaration of Independence, or the Gettysburg Address, or the Magna Carta, that's why we defeated the Germans at Pearl Harbor).
How can I be sure that I don't have COVID-19 right now this second? Maybe I have it and I'm asymptomatic? And testing is nothing more than a snapshot in time. I've named my mask Charleen, and she helps me to keep my loved ones, and strangers, safe, maybe not 100% safe, but safer than if I didn't wear her.
Asians, especially Chinese and Japanese, have been wearing surgical masks for years, in some cases for particulate pollutants from burning coal, but in many cases to prevent the spread of infection. It's accepted there. We may have to learn to accept it here, especially before we come up with a vaccine.
