In this post you will learn how to wear and remove face mask safely to prevent COVID-19 infection
As governments in various countries across the globe are trying to ease their lock down, the use of face masks will become our reality. Please bear in mind that wearing a face mask does not guarantee total protection. Hence, other protective measures such as regular hand washing, and social distancing should also be observed with you mask on. Wearing of face mask is an additional prevention measure to limit community transmission of the virus.
Before you begin to wear a face mask, you must learn the basics. You need to learn how to wear and remove your masks, so it does not become an object of infection. Guidelines to safe use of masks have been published. Below are few things you need to know for the use of non-medial masks such as those make from different fabrics. These are based on guideline published on the National Institute for communicable diseases (NICD), south Africa and WHO websites.
- Before putting on a mask, clean hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
- Cover mouth and nose with mask and make sure there are no gaps between your face and the mask.
- Avoid touching the mask while using it; if you do, clean your hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water. – fidgeting with the mask repeatedly is strongly discouraged as it is important to avoid touching your face with hands;
- Do not lower the face mask when speaking, coughing, or sneezing;
- The inner side of the face mask should not be touched with hands;
- Replace the mask with a new one as soon as it is damp and do not re-use single-use masks. However, this does not apply to cloth masks, you can wash fabric face masks with soap and water and iron when dry for re-use. I suggest you have at least two or more cloth masks if necessary.
- To remove the mask: remove it from behind (do not touch the front of mask); discard immediately in a closed bin or washed (only for fabric masks) as stated above/earlier; clean hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
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Sources : https://www.nicd.ac.za/covid-19-guidelines-on-fabric-face-masks/