Face masks have become part of the new normal in our lives; following the protocols imposed by the government and our healthcare professionals.
But wearing masks does not mean your are really protected or protecting anyone if you dont wear them properly.
Masks are meant to lessen the spreading or catch diseases which spread through respiratory droplets. Since according to the Department of Health, most people infected by the disease experience respiratory problems, everyone is asked to wear masks especially when going out.
To help stop the spread of disease, we all need to put on our masks the right way, and here how:
Your masks should cover your mouth and nose.
When you wear your masks, we know it’s hard to breath and talk. But wearing them is not for the long run.
If you are wearing your mask only to cover your mouth, then you are not doing it right and are risk becoming sick and make others ill as well.
If your nose is not covered by the mask, you can inhale pathogens not only from the air, but also the mask it self.
Your masks comes in contact with your skin or your other stuff.
If the coronavirus sticks to your clothes or your skin, and your loose mask touches them, then that’s a major problem. Don’t leave it resting in your neck and not on your face.
To lessen the spread, wear them and dispose them properly.
Your masks hangs too loosely.
If you are using N95 respirators, it should closely fit your face. But if you opt for a surgical mask or a homemade one, tendency is is, side gaps might be too loose.
Our main objective is to create a barrier that blocks as much air as possible (not to the point where you can’t breath,) but enough to lessen inhaling pathogens.
You don’t want to seal them perfectly on your face, at lease we have to make sure that it fits properly, and be comfortable and secure enough that it does not slide or fall off.
Your mask covers the tip of your nose.
Pro tip: Your masks should cover the bridge of your nose and not its tip, so you can create a seal with the nickel tucked inside the masks.
If you are only covering the tp of your nose, chances are, you are making huge air gaps on your masks, and DOH recommends that masks should always sit on the bridge of your nose.
Dispose your masks or clean them properly.
If you are planning to reuse your masks for multiple times, make sure that its clean enough, or it does not become a contamination zone where germs and viruses thrive. DOH and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says you can wash homemade fabrics in a washing machine, and since N95 masks can be expensive and hard to find, you steam them over a boiling water for about 8-10 minutes but needs to be dry before using them.