Masks: Are you wearing them correctly?

In the brave new world of COVID-19, masks and hand sanitizer have become social necessities. But just because we’re using masks doesn’t guarantee that we are using them in a way that protects ourselves and our family! Let’s take a minute to make sure that we are using our masks safely and correctly. 

1. Not all masks are created equally. There are differences between mask types! 

Studies on mask efficacy have shown that N95 respirator masks are effective against the transmission of 95% of particles. Surgical masks block 40-60%, cloth masks block 30%, and handkerchiefs block 2-13% of particles. In a perfect world, every single person could have an N95. However, given the essentially disastrous shortages of masks for healthcare workers, this is not possible. Please reserve N95s for healthcare workers. They need it much more than you do, since they are face-to-face with COVID patients while taking care of them. Your interactions with people are very different than that of a doctor, nurse, or respiratory therapist. Of course, different rules apply if you have a specific medical condition that causes you to be more susceptible to the virus and your doctor has recommended that you wear an N95 in public. But if that is the case, even better than venturing out would be to send someone out for you instead and stay home.  

Truly, for the vast majority of healthy people, using a surgical mask or a homemade cloth mask coupled with good hand hygiene and social distancing of 6 feet will provide you with a very reasonably safe environment. 

2. Your mask keeps me safe. My mask keeps you safe.

Most masks are best at reducing forward transmission of viral particles. In other words, if you are infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus and you cough, your mask is helping to keep those viral particles from spewing out into the world and infecting other people. Certainly, your mask is also helpful in protecting you from breathing in viral particles, but this is not actually its most important function (except in the case of an N95—which is why healthcare workers who are up close and personal with COVID patients need them most). Remember, if you are practicing true social distancing of 6 feet, the viral particles are very, very unlikely to travel far enough when someone coughs for you to inhale! 

3. Your mask is a physical barrier and reminder to keep you from touching your face. 

However, this only works if you are following all of the rules for wearing masks safely. This is especially important to consider for children. If you have tried putting a mask on your young child, you probably found it to be nearly impossible. Most toddlers will take that mask off the second you put it on. Slightly older kids may leave it on, but will constantly touch it. It is not until around age 8 and above that most kids are able to wear a mask safely for at least a short period of time. Don’t expect too much from your kids—most adults are terrible masks wearers! Currently, masks are not recommended for children under the age of 2 years. It is very difficult to fit them properly and the mask can make it difficult for the child to breathe. 

This being said, no matter what type of mask you use, if you don’t put it on and take it off properly, you may be dramatically, and unintentionally, increasing your exposure risk. So, check out this step-by-step guide for safe mask wearing and make sure your family plays by the mask safety rules. 

GUIDE TO SAFELY WEARING YOUR SURGICAL OR CLOTH MASK: 

PUTTING ON YOUR MASK: 

1: Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds or use ≥60% alcohol hand sanitizer. 

2: Place a clean mask over your mouth AND nose. 

3: Secure the mask in place. Note that your goal is to have the least amount of space between your mask and your face. If the mask is not snug against your face, it will allow viral particles to flow around the sides of mask. If your mask has a flexible metal nose piece, make sure to mold it snugly to your nose. 

4: Once your mask is in place, DO NOT TOUCH IT AGAIN until it is time to take it off. This means you should NOT be putting your mask up and down and tucking it under your chin, even when you are not in contact with other people.  

Once you are out in public, you should assume that your mask is contaminated with viral particles. If you touch your mask at any point, you are effectively transmitting the virus to everything you or the mask touches. So, if you put your mask under your chin while you are in the car going from one errand to the next, you are smearing virus particles all over your face and have effectively defeated the reason you wore that mask in the first place.

NOTE: If at any point while you are wearing your mask you accidentally touch it, make sure to immediately perform hand hygiene. The same applies to your kids. Clearly, this is the major limitation to having kids wear masks. 

REMOVING YOUR MASK: 

This should only happen once: when you are completely done with your adventure into the world.

1: Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds or use ≥60% alcohol hand sanitizer.

2: Use one clean hand to hold your mask and the other to unfasten the mask. 

3: Without touching your face, remove your mask and place it carefully into either a paper bag (if you want to reuse a surgical mask) or the washing machine (for cloth masks). Make sure that the bag is open so your mask does not touch the sides, or that the washing machine is open so you don’t need to use a dirty hand to open it up. 

4: Wash your hands again before you touch anything else. 

Together, we can do this. Remember, knowledge is power! Following these few simple steps will help you to be safer during these crazy times.