Face facts

Don’t call it a mask. Call it a scarf, a kerchief, a bandana, a do-rag, even a Bonnie and Clyde or Old West bank robber’s getup. Use anything that you can wrap around your nose and mouth when you go out to protect against coronavirus. Then throw it in the wash when you get home. And slap on some sunglasses unless you’re already four-eyed, like we are.

As the Centers for Disease Control may soon acknowledge, there are real virtues in covering up every time you venture out, from your daily constitutional to grocery runs to pharmacy pickups (which should be about the only times you’re outside, absent essential employees).

One, shielding your nose and mouth and eyes helps prevent the bug from getting into you, even if the risk on the typical solo foray is small. Two, it also helps stop the virus from exiting you to others. Three, wearing a bandana and glasses inhibits you from touching your face, which is how the disease often spreads from hands into your respiratory system.

We think that public health authorities and government leaders were initially hesitant to urge people to cover up because there could be a stampede for scarce surgical masks and N95 respirators. Mayor de Blasio came aboard Thursday and he’s right: Unless your job requires it or a doctor instructs you, the ordinary person does not need a surgical mask and definitely doesn’t need an N95. Leave them for medical professionals.

But there’s good reason to cover your face without medical-grade equipment.