Face With Medical Mask

A yellow face with closed eyes and a white surgical mask covering the mouth and nose.

The Face with Medical Mask emoji is most commonly used to represent illness, medical situations, or general health precautions. Once symbolizing someone who’s sick or protecting others from germs, it took on broader cultural significance during the COVID-19 pandemic—becoming a universal symbol of public health awareness.

It can still express personal illness ("feeling sick 😷"), but is also used more generally to show concern for wellness, to reference hospitals, or to signal being in recovery mode. In some contexts, it’s even used humorously to imply emotional "sickness" from cringe or secondhand embarrassment.

Culturally, it also reflects the norm of mask-wearing in many Asian countries, long before global adoption.