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 percent 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 front lines to use surgical or medical-grade masks. Save those for the health care providers.
But there’s no reason why a home-made mask can’t provide protection, at least for those around us.
Back during the ‘Spanish Influenza’ 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.
And if you do decide to make face masks for the family, why not make a few extra - for friends, neighbours and the elderly.
