Maybe wearing face masks while out and about – shopping, on transit, in public spaces – isn’t such a crazy idea after all.
Health officials are re-evaluating earlier advice – that there’s no reason to wear a face mask unless you are a first responder or health care worker, or are ill – in light of a greater understanding of COVID-19, and how it spreads.
It’s not just the droplets spread by sneezing and coughing; it’s the mist of saliva that spreads when people speak, and the realization that 15 to 20 per cent of COVID-19-positive persons may be asymptomatic, and show no signs of illness although they may be infectious.
Health authorities still say there is no reason for people who are not on the frontlines to use surgical or medical-grade masks. Save those for the health care providers.
But there’s no reason why a homemade mask can’t provide protection, at least for those around us.
In the wake of the U.S. Centre for Disease Control recommending that Americans start wearing homemade cloth face masks, some Canadian doctors and officials are now saying cloth masks are recommended in certain situations.
Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, said Saturday that Canada, “like the United States, (is) looking at the latest information," adding that there are scenarios in which she believes a homemade facial covering of some type — one that would not count as medical equipment needed by health-care workers — could be beneficial.
"For example, if you’re in public transit and you cannot easily practise the two metres (of physical distancing), for example, then having that additional covering, like covering up your cough, I think, is a good idea,” she said.
During the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-1920, public health authorities were advising citizens to make their own masks, to help curb the spread of the flu.
Now, it is the internet that is offering patterns for do-it-yourself face masks – from complex designs that repurpose furnace hepa-filters (remembering to remove the cardboard and wire) as described on doityourself.com (click here), to simple “dust masks” modified to provide greater protection.
The best designs are easy to make, and include three layers of cloth, a sculpted fit, a bendable metal nose guard (made of a pipecleaner, metal bread tag or even a piece of aluminum foil or pan cut to fit, and folded to ensure there are no sharp edges) sewn into the top of the mask, and ties made from anything from bias tape to elastic, to shoe laces.
The important thing is that materials should be breathable, washable after each use (with a dash of bleach) and reusable.
For ideas, just check ‘make your own face masks’ online. Several sites are offering free patterns (like Craft Passion; click here) or tutorials that demonstrate ‘how to’, step by step.
A page on the CDC’s website goes over how to wear a cloth face covering, how to wash one (they say a washing machine will do), and how to remove one safely.
The CDC instructions specify that you should not touch your eyes, nose and mouth when removing a mask, and you should wash your hands immediately.
And if you do decide to make face masks for the family, why not make a few extra - for friends, neighbours and seniors.
— With files from Debora Kelly
