We are ALL confronted with the pandemic and our various governments spew out all kinds of guides for this and for that. This guide hopefully will shed some light on Masks, Masking, and Making Masks!
I realize this is rather long, however since so many of us have a lot of time on our hands, it is well worth the read, and it just might protect us or those we love!
javajolt
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Should we Mask? ◄ § ► By now you’ve figured out that wearing a mask is not as simple as all those TV doctors made it look. Here’s our guide to the wear and care of your new mask.
VIDEO The Case for Masks Overnight, masks have become a symbol of social responsibility. If you still need convincing, here’s why you now should be wearing a mask in public spaces to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Why masks matter more for this coronavirus To start, this coronavirus is a new virus, which means our immune systems have never encountered it before. It’s different from the seasonal flu, which most of us have some protection from, either because of previous exposure to related influenza viruses or because we got a flu shot. One of the biggest worries is that health workers, who get vaccinated to stay well during flu season, have no protection from coronavirus.
It’s also important to note that the flu season happens over a period of several months. Coronavirus has spread much more rapidly, infecting a concentrated number of patients — and resulting in tens of thousands of cases of COVID-19 — in a matter of weeks.
An estimated
25 percent of people with coronavirus feel perfectly fine and don’t know they are infected and could be contagious. And guess what? You could very well be one of them! That’s why you should wear a mask to protect other people from your stealth germs.
How your mask could protect others Even a simple mask is very effective at trapping droplets from your coughs and sneezes.
A recent study published in Nature from the University of Hong Kong and the University of Maryland asked 111 people, infected with various viral illnesses (influenza, rhinovirus, and a more-mild coronavirus), to exhale into a giant funnel. Sometimes their noses and mouths weren’t covered; other times they used a simple, not-particularly-well-fitted mask.
Without the masks, the infected people exhaled contagious droplets and aerosols, tiny particles that linger in the air, about 30 percent of the time they were tested. When the infected patients wore a mask, it blocked nearly 100 percent of viral droplets and some of the aerosol particles.
“If we look at all the results together, we found that masks were able to stop most virus-laden respiratory droplets and some of the virus-laden aerosols,” said Ben Cowling, at the School of Public Health of the University of Hong Kong, and the study’s senior author.
How your mask could protect you While we know that even a simple mask does a pretty good job of protecting the world from your outgoing germs, experts say there is more variation in how much homemade masks might protect you from incoming germs, depending on the fit and quality of the material used.
But the thing is, you don’t need a super-efficient mask if you’re practicing social distancing and washing your hands. And if you use a fabric with decent filtration potential — like two layers of heavy cotton or flannel — and you wear the mask properly, you increase your chances of avoiding the virus.
The bottom line is that when you practice social distancing, wash your hands and wear a mask during those times when you must leave the house,
you are lowering your risk for getting sick .
Your mask makes everyone else’s mask look normal In parts of Asia, where communities have dealt with serious contagions like SARS and MERS, wearing a mask isn’t considered weird. In fact, it’s expected. The more everyone wears a mask, the more accepted mask-wearing will become.
“If everybody has to wear a mask, there’s no stigma,” said Shan Soe-Lin, a lecturer at the Yale Jackson Institute for Global Affairs. “I would like to see it change social norms. In Hong Kong, it’s a good thing to see someone in a mask. If you’re sick, you put a mask on. You’re kind of rude to be coughing without a mask on.
The Dos and Don’ts of Masks To get the most out of your mask, make sure you wear it correctly and at the right time.
How to put a mask on and take one-off Always wash your hands first. Don’t touch the fabric part of the mask — that’s essentially the germ filter, and you don’t want to spread whatever germs it has trapped. Use the ear loops or ties to secure your mask and to remove it. The coverage area should go from near the bridge of your nose to down under your chin and stretch about halfway or more toward your ears. Pull the ties and loops so that it fits as snugly as possible against your face. If your mask has pleats, the folded side should be down.
Don’t try to cheat the mask The writer Peter Hessler, who recently wrote about
life in lockdown in China for The New Yorker, created names for the various ways in which people take breaks from masks while wearing them as a way to explain the right and wrong ways to wear a mask to his daughters. The “holster” is a mask pulled down and resting on the neck. The “flapjack” happens when a person takes one ear loop off to talk on the phone. And then there’s the “low rider.” “This is when you pretend that you are obeying the rules, but actually tug the mask down so that your nostrils are uncovered,” he said. All can make the mask far less effective in protecting against germs.
To learn more, read this guide
How NOT to Wear a Mask .
The risk of wearing a mask In theory, fidgeting with a mask could introduce germs to your face, but if you’re touching your face that much, you are greatly increasing the risk of getting sick anyway.
But the real worry about wearing a mask is that you start to believe it’s protecting you more than it really is.
Behavioral economists know that when people begin to feel safe, they take more risks. It’s a phenomenon seen when federal regulations first made cars safer with added features like seatbelts, and people responded by driving more recklessly. When doctors wear decontamination gowns, studies show they may become laxer about safety protocols. When communities in Mexico began outdoor mosquito spraying to combat dengue fever, families were less likely to adopt personal prevention practices.
Masks do make us feel safer, but any benefit of wearing a mask will be quickly negated if we lose our resolve about social distancing and hand washing. Don’t start lingering in grocery stores or spending time with friends because you are wearing a mask. A mask alone will not protect you from the coronavirus.
Do I need to wear a mask outdoors? The recommendation is to wear a mask at all times in public spaces because we don’t know who has the virus and who doesn’t. It’s also more socially responsible to wear a mask, even if you’re outside.
“It’s the signal as well as the actual risk,” said Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee, assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University. “If we’re going to deploy this, I would urge people to stay on the side of caution and send the social message that we don’t know who has it, and no one, in particular, is the exception to the rule. We should do this as universally as possible.”
Do I need to wear a mask during outdoor exercise? In general, outdoor exercise, with or without a mask, seems to be safe, according to most experts. Researchers cautioned that little is known about heavy breathing during aerobic exercise and how it affects viral spread. Phys Ed columnist Gretchen Reynolds has all the suggestions and cautions in
Exercising Outdoors With a Face Mask .
What if my child refuses to wear a mask? Masks should not be worn by children
under 2 years of age . But older children often are vectors of contagious illnesses, so teaching them to wear a mask is a good idea.
Teaching a child to wear a mask, however,
is easier said than done . Many children are frightened of masks or just don’t like them. Keep working on it. You can try to win a child over with fun characters on the mask, rewards or games. You can also convince them by setting the example yourself (the same concept works when your children see you eat vegetables.) Try turning the mask into a craft project that they can wear proudly.
Mask or no mask, children should never go with you to the grocery store or to run essential errands during the pandemic. Community playgrounds are closed (or should be), so outdoor play should be confined to the back yard. If your children need to play in a public space, go somewhere you can easily keep your distance from other people, like an empty soccer field or a sparsely populated hiking trail so that their refusal to wear a mask doesn’t affect other people.
When to wear a mask at home A mask is only needed in the home if someone is sick. The patient should be confined to a separate room with no or minimal contact with the rest of the household (including pets) and should use a separate bathroom if possible. Both patients and caregivers should wear masks when in contact with each other.
Choosing or Making a Mask Almost overnight, masks of all shapes, colors, and styles have appeared on the faces around us. Here’s how to decide what mask works best for you.
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