CIVILIAN GRADE MASKS (NOT FOR MEDICAL USE)
With ever changing advice emerging daily, more recent information regarding Covid-19 is that wearing a mask in public is recommended. Government and health officials are now stating that the coronavirus can be carried through asymptomatic people and can generally be transmitted through coughing, sneezing and possibly just laughing and talking. Masks protect us by shielding us from respiratory droplets that may fall on surfaces around us. According to the The Centers For Disease Control (CDC) and The World Health Organization(WHO), these respiratory droplets can reach up to 3-6 feet or more:
“We’ve also learned that there’s a lot more asymptomatic spread than we originally thought. What that means is that someone like you or me who does not have any symptoms whatsoever could be spreading the virus,” Dr. Rupie (Rupal Gohil, MD) explained.
Dr. Rupie said a person’s mouth is like a spray bottle. Every time you cough, sneeze, laugh or even talk, droplets fall onto surfaces around you.
“Just by talking, they can go up to 3-6 feet,” Dr. Rupie said. “Now coughing and sneezing, [droplets] can go potentially even further than that.”
According to the CDC, COVID-19 is spread through those respiratory droplets.
The WHO offers the following advice for the use of masks:
- Before putting on a mask, clean hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
- Cover mouth and nose with mask and make sure there are no gaps between your face and the mask.
- Avoid touching the mask while using it; if you do, clean your hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
- Replace the mask with a new one as soon as it is damp and do not re-use single-use masks.
- To remove the mask: remove it from behind (do not touch the front of mask); discard immediately in a closed bin; clean hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
