Preferred lie - nearer the hole

[jim8flog]

Must have stumbled on a 2013 version in haste.

If I choose to clean my ball when taking preferred lie in a bunker in Covid conditions local rule, can I walk out of the bunker to my bag and clean ball on a towel, then return to place the ball without having marked it?
Is there any penalty if I mark my ball in the bunker before lifting?
I would do this in order to be able to do the above cleaning procedure and have certainty as to its original position when returning to place the ball within 6 inches of its original position.

The penalty is if you fail to place it within the specified Relief Area. So if you are going to wander away from the actual spot the best advice is to mark the position.