More people are wearing masks - is it because of the smoke or COVID-19?

With smoky conditions persisting across Southern B.C., mask wearing appears to be on the upswing.

But are people wearing face masks because of the harmful smoke drifting up from wildfires in California, Oregon and Washington state – or are they doing so because of COVID-19?

With two good reasons to cover your face when you leave home, we hit the street to find out what the deciding factor is for you.

Poor air quality is expected to continue across the region, with a return to thicker smoke Wednesday and Thursday after a slight improvement on Tuesday.

Longer term, conditions should improve substantially by next week, according to Environment Canada.