- The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended last Friday that people should wear cloth face coverings in public settings, especially in areas hit hard by the coronavirus.
- Face coverings may prevent people from passing the disease on to others, but they don't necessarily protect the wearer from getting sick
- If you're in an area that's been hit hard by the coronavirus, you may see more people walking around with face masks
- The three most crucial mistakes to avoid when wearing one are: not washing your hands, not covering both your nose and mouth with the mask, and touching your mask while you're wearing it or taking it off
- Read live updates about the coronavirus here
Masks are becoming an increasingly common sight amid the coronavirus, especially in areas hit hard by the pandemic.
Though face coverings may help prevent people from passing the disease on to others, they don't necessarily protect the wearer from getting sick, as previously reported by Business Insider's Hilary Brueck.
"The reason why a non-medical person would wear one in public would be to mainly prevent spreading large droplets to other people," Dr. Dean Winslow, an infectious diseases specialist at Stanford Health Care, told Business Insider.
This is one of the reasons why wearers should try to maintain appropriate distances between themselves and others when in public spaces if possible.
Still, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended last Friday that people should wear cloth face coverings in public settings, especially in areas with higher confirmed cases. This guidance comes in light of increasing evidence that some people with coronavirus don't have symptoms, and that others can transmit the coronavirus even before their symptoms start to show up.
Surgical or N95 masks, on the other hand, are "critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders," according to the guidance.
It's still more important to abide by shelter in place orders, according to Winslow. If you have to go outside, he told Business Insider, try to keep safe distances between yourself and others whether or not you have a mask on.
Here are the most common mistakes to avoid if you're wearing a face mask to help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, as recommended by Winslow, the World Health Organization (WHO), and CDC. Some of the CDC and WHO guidelines are adapted from guidelines originally meant to advise healthcare professionals, not the public, on how to properly put on and take off protective gear.
Mistake #1: Not washing your hands before putting on your mask and after taking it off
This is by far one of the most important things to keep in mind, according to Winslow. He told Business Insider that the steps he and other medical professionals have to adhere to when putting on and taking of personal protective equipment to interact with COVID-19 patients are strenuous. He washes his hands for 20 seconds once before he puts on all his protective gear, again after he takes off his gown, and then once more after he takes off his goggles and N95 mask.
Non-medical professionals should definitely wash their hands before putting on a mask. Then, once they arrive home, they should at the very least wash their hands after they take off their cloth masks and put it in the laundry hamper.
Mistake #2: Not covering both your nose and mouth with the mask
When you put on the mask, make sure it covers your nose and mouth and fits comfortably around your face. WHO guidelines say the mask should cover both the nose and mouth and the wearer should make sure there are "no gaps between your face and the mask."
The CDC says cloth face coverings should do the following things when put on correctly:
- fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face
- be secured with ties or ear loops
- include multiple layers of fabric
- allow for breathing without restriction
Mistake #3: Constantly touching your mask to readjust it or touching the front when you're taking it off
If you do have to touch your mask to adjust it while you're wearing it outside, make sure you "clean your hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water," says the WHO. If your mask becomes damp (which it likely will), replace it if possible.
"Individuals should be careful not to touch their eyes, nose, and mouth when removing their face covering," according to the CDC. The WHO seconds this point. "Remove it from behind (do not touch the front of mask)," it says.
The reasoning is this: if there are virus particles trapped on the outside of the mask, they'll get on your hands when you touch it (another reason to make sure you're washing your hands after you dispose of your mask).
More mask-related resources:
- "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the public: When and how to use masks" (WHO)
- "Use of Cloth Face Coverings to Help Slow the Spread of COVID-19" (CDC)
- "Recommendation Regarding the Use of Cloth Face Coverings, Especially in Areas of Significant Community-Based Transmission" (CDC)
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