Things to Know About Wearing a Face Mask in the Battle Against COVID-19

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(Newswire.net — June 5, 2020) — Practicing hygiene measures recommended by the WHO and CDC is the best way to control the spread of different respiratory illnesses including COVID-19. Along with washing hands properly and avoiding close contact, wearing a face mask is also recommended by healthcare professionals when you are in public places where it is hard to maintain social distance up to 6 feet. A face mask serves as a physical barrier to protect yourself and people around you from air respiratory droplets, air pollutants, and many other bacterial particles. 

Why should we wear a mask?

Most of the people unknowingly infect others with the deadly pandemic by going out at public places and spreading germs and the virus by coughing and touching others with unclean hands. In this situation, wearing a face mask is good and adds an additional protective layer by cutting down the 95% of breathing that sends deadly viruses up to 6 feet away in a public place where a lot of people nearby and also reduce the oral transmission and spread of the pandemic by preventing the virus from getting into your mouth and nose when you touch an infected surface or subject and then touch your face without washing your hands. 

Good personal hygiene is most important too!

As it is mentioned above that wearing a mask adds a protective layer to help you prevent respiratory issues, good personal hygiene is the most important thing to make sure you are safe from pandemic and keeping others safe as well. One should wash hands frequently with soap or use instant hand sanitizer while on the go and water is out of range. Make sure to wash your hands right after coughing, sneezing, cleaning the nose, and touching any infected surface. Also, wash your hands before preparing food. Healthy eating, lifestyle habits, and proper exercise can also help you build strong body immunity to battle against COVID-19. 

Are face masks a prevention measure for coronavirus?

Covering your face with a mask is one of the preventive measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus and other certain respiratory diseases. However, the use of the face mask alone is not enough to get the proper level of protection against the pandemic and other recommended preventive measures should also be adopted to stay safe and healthy. As there are different types of face masks including medical masks, N95 respirators, and cloth face masks, medical and N95 respirators are not required for the general public. These special masks should be reserved for the healthcare professionals and physicians who are the frontline defender. However, consumers can use high-quality multiple-layer cloth masks made with tightly woven cotton masks. SewCal Masks is one of the recommended cloth mask producers in the United States and provides their customers with the best quality cloth face masks to help them stay safe during the COVID-19 emergency. The coronavirus can easily pass through the cloth face mask in the form of small respiratory droplets but can provide a bit of protection when made with multiple layers of quality fabric. 

Cloth face masks aren’t respirators

N95 respirators are a particular type of face masks that are usually worn by the medical experts and physicians who come into close contact with infected people in medical settings. These are the actual respirators. They come with a tight and fit seal over the nose and mouth to filter and block all the pollutants coming in or out. On the other hand, cloth masks are more similar to medical masks that do not fit tight on the face and can cause the spread of droplets and infected particles. 

Cloth masks are made to protect the people from respiratory droplets and infected particles that a wearer might be producing. These masks are recommended in public places where it is difficult to maintain social distance. However, alone a cloth mask cannot provide you with the required protection from viruses and you need to adopt the proper hygiene measures to stay safe and protected. Masks made with tightly woven fabric can offer a small level of respiratory protection to reduce depositing of droplets of the virus on the surfaces and to people around you.

Mask Wearing Etiquette to be followed

One should follow the appropriate mask-wearing and disposal etiquette if there is a need to wear a mask to make sure they are useful to prevent the spread of pandemic and transmission of the virus into healthy people. 

Below you can find the useful information on the right use of face masks in the battle against COVID-19:

  • Place the masks carefully on your face to cover your mouth and nose by holding it from its elastic bands and tie it securely around your face to minimize the gaps between the mask and your face.
  • Right after wearing, avoid touching your mask.
  • When you need to remove, use appropriate guidance to remove a mask and don’t touch it from the front and remove it by holding its bands from behind. 
  • Once removed, wash your hands with soap, instant hand sanitizer, or alcohol-based hand rub.
  • After removing an old mask, be sure to wear a new and clean mask to ensure optimum protection.
  • Don’t reuse a mask that is made for one-time use only.
  • If you are wearing a cloth face mask, be sure to wash it frequently with detergent and hand it to dry for later use.
  • Be quick to dispose of a single-use mask and through it in a closed bin as soon as possible.

Stay vigilant on other measures

Wearing a mask offers a good protective layer to prevent the spread of COVID-19 pandemic but it is also important to stay watchful of the other protective measures recommended by WHO and CDC. Along with wearing a face mask, one should also pay attention to other COVID-19 prevention protocols, like proper personal hygiene and social distancing up to 6 feet. In this way, we can fight this deadly virus and control its spread to the healthy people around us.