Everyone should wear a mask: What you need to know about the CDC’s new recommendation
The U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) has released new guidance that everyone should wear a face mask when in public to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.
This is an important update to previous CDC guidance that only ill people should wear a mask, and helps to address the fact that asymptomatic infected individuals can spread the disease.
Here are the key takeaways from this new recommendation.
- The general public should not use surgical masks or N-95 respirators. People are urged to use homemade or purchased cloth facial coverings — preserving medical-grade mask supply for health care workers.
- Likewise, be aware a cloth facial covering is not a suitable replacement for medical personal protective equipment (PPE).
- Wearing a facial covering is not a substitute for social distancing guidelines. Social distancing protocols should still be followed while wearing a mask.
- Wash your hands before putting on your mask and avoid touching your face while wearing it.
- Wash your mask in between uses.
There are many tutorials online demonstrating how to create a facial covering from household items, including sewn and no-sew options using materials like t-shirts, scarves or cotton bandanas. Below are two CDC resources on how to make your own.
CDC tutorial: How to make a cloth face covering