Tests have shown COVID-19 alive in masks for seven days. CDC and Mayo Clinic clearly advise NOT to touch the mask while wearing. If you do, immediately sanitize hands. Otherwise the pathogens transfer to the hands and then to anything touched. ()https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/cloth-face-covering.pdf
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-to-wear-cloth-face-coverings.html
()https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-mask/art-20485449
Excerpt from both sites:
“DON'T touch the face covering, and, if you do, wash your hands”