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.”
From PA.Gov, the Best Practices for Homemade Masks include:
- Consider buying materials online to avoid exposure in public places.
- Purchase masks made by small businesses, saving medical masks for health care workers.
- Before putting on a mask, clean hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
- The mask should fit snugly around the mouth and nose.
- If the mask has a metal wire it should be fitted snuggly to the bridge of the nose.
- Avoid touching the mask while using it, if you do wash your hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub.
- Made out of two layers of tightly woven 100% cotton fabric.
- Be discarded or washed after every use.
- Should not be worn damp or when wet from spit or mucus.
- To remove the mask: remove it from behind, do not touch the front of the mask.
- The wearer should immediately wash their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds after removing the mask.
Wendy W. Schoenewald, PT, OCS
WWS Physical Therapy & Vestibular Rehabilitation
**Information source Gov Tom Wolf, PA, news conferences.
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