This is the correct protocol for 2 reasons: 1) N95’s are optimized to filter *incoming* air. Surgical masks are optimized to prevent contaminating the environment when exhaling. 2) The hantavirus 80–120 nm in body diameter. By comparison, COVID was 60-80 nm in body diameter (excluding spike proteins) While that may not seem dramatic it means a very large difference in actual mass of the pathogen. The larger and heavier pathogen size means it needs droplet vapor to carry, not just air. So the person you think is infected, wearing a surgical mask is effective as it traps droplets on exhalation. The staff wear n95s. The patients don’t. If someone is already infected there would be no statistical difference between them wearing an n95 and a surgical mask, so you do not need to waste the better equipment. In a quarantine facility the staff change over PPE and sterilize equipment between patient rooms, so there is zero risk of cross patient exposure. So only the staff need an n95.