In addition to the directives of Social Distancing, good Hygiene, Hand Washing, and wearing Gloves, Governor Tom Wolf, PA., announced yesterday that he wants residents to wear a nonmedical or homemade mask when they leave their homes to:

• Shopping at essential businesses, like grocery stores or pharmacies.
• While visiting your health care provider.
• Traveling on public transportation.
• Interact with customers/clients at essential businesses.
• When feeling sick, coughing, or sneezing.

There is another important consideration …  to emphasize that you need to keep your hands and mouth clean so you need to not touch the mask when you take it off … touch just the ties or the bands so you do not contaminate the mask itself. 

Homemade masks limit the spread of infectious droplets in the air by containing coughs and sneezes.
When a homemade mask can’t be acquired a scarf or bandana can be utilized. By implementing community use of this homemade fabric or cloth masks, everyone will have a higher degree of protection from this virus. 

Remember: “My mask protects you, your mask protects me.”

Wendy W. Schoenewald, PT, OCS

WWS Physical Therapy & Vestibular Rehabilitation

 **Information source Gov Tom Wolf, PA, news conferences.