Do’s and Don’ts of Wearing a Face Mask in Public
In an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus, face masks have now become essentials if and when you are planning to step out of your homes. Most of the states/cities/organizations have made it mandatory for people to wear face masks. On not abiding by this rule, the citizens might have to face penalty or other legal actions against them. The virus is known to spread through the respiratory droplets that are exchanged by people while interacting with each other. Face masks are designed to act as a barrier between people thus decreasing the likelihood of the virus from spreading. By wearing a mask, one reduces the risk of contamination, by trapping your own droplets and also further reduces the risk of getting infected by another person’s virus. This is important especially because it has been found that a lot were carrying the virus even though they were asymptomatic. In fact pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic patients account for 80% of the transmissions.
Face masks are designed to reduce the risk of transmission but they can only be used if they are used correctly. The pandemic is far from over and therefore it becomes our responsibility to be aware of the dos and don’ts of wearing a face mask in public to ensure that we keep ourselves and people around us safe.
You can buy face masks online or from a pharmacy/supermarket near you. Although medical grade masks are recommended, one can also make use of cloth masks. These don’t provide the same level of protection as that of medical grade masks, but if you are going to a place where the norms of social distancing are being followed, you can use cloth masks as well.
We have listed down a few dos and don’ts that you can follow while wearing a face mask in public:
1. Wash your hands before wearing your mask and after removing it:
The germs or pathogens from your hands might contaminate the mask and thus defeat the entire purpose of wearing a mask. Ensure that you wash or sanitize your hand before putting your mask on and after removing it.
2. Choose the right mask:
Choose a mask that snuggly fits on your face and covers your nose and mouth properly. Masks come in various sizes, select the one that best fits you. Tight masks might make it difficult to breathe through them while the gaps in loose masks might make the mask ineffective. You can buy these masks online, make them at home or buy them from your nearest pharmacy. If you are using/making a cloth mask, make sure that it is made up of cotton or similar fabric. It needs to be breathable fabric but at the same time must stop the transmission of droplets. You also need to ensure the mask’s sanitization after each use.
3. Don’t touch your mask once you put it on -
By touching your mask after putting it on, you are increasing the risk of contamination of the mask as well as the contamination of your hands. You must also resist the temptation of touching your face frequently even if it feels itchy. A lot of times, the itch subsides in some time.
4. Don’t lower your guard -
Face masks are just one of the things that can reduce the risk of transmission. There are still many other ways that you might contract the coronavirus in spite of wearing a face mask. Therefore, it becomes important for you to stay indoors whenever you can, do not abandon social distancing just because you are wearing a mask and sanitize regularly. Droplets might land on surfaces that could contaminate them. Face masks can reduce the risk of Covid-19 but not completely eliminate them.
5. Know the proper way to put on and remove the mask:
To put on a mask, always grasp the ear loops or ties to put on the mask. In case of ear loops, put it on your ears and in case of ties, first secure the upper ties behind your head and then secure the lower ties behind your head. While removing your mask, make sure that you are not touching the outside of your eyes, nose and mouth.
6. Wash your cloth masks frequently -
You must wash your masks, ideally after every day you wear them. The cloth masks have to be washed and dried at high temperature. Boiling them in water for 10 minutes along with detergent might be a good option. You can also use bleach to decontaminate the masks and keep them in sunlight to dry.
The above are just some of the many measures that you can use to wear face masks safely and securely. You can buy the best quality PPE kits and protective shields at Arogya Depot. Just visit our website and explore our range.
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