A significant number of fashion retailers and brands have shifted their efforts to producing fabric face masks ever since the CDC recommended all Americans should wear “face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.” But with the devastating shortage of N95 medical masks, it’s critical that the public reserve what surgical masks remain for our frontline healthcare workers.
Although fabric face masks will not completely protect against contracting the COVID-19, the CDC explains that they can help “slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others.” The CDC guidelines advise that “all people two years of age and older wear a cloth face covering in public settings and when around people who don’t live in your household.”
Since over 20 U.S states are now officially requiring face masks in public, we’ve come to terms with the fact that we will most likely be sporting face masks for a while. New York, New Jersey, California, Maryland, New Mexico Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island are just some of the states with mask mandates. So, we should ALL be wearing face masks to help protect ourselves and others. But there are a LOT of options out there, and when buying a fabric face mask, you want to make sure it’s got all the things the CDC says it should have, or you know, what’s the point?
According to reports from the CDC, cloth face coverings should:
- “Fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face”
- “Completely cover the nose and mouth”
- “Be secured with ties or ear loops”
- “Include multiple layers of fabric”
- “Allow for breathing without restriction”
- “Be laundered and machine dried without damage or change to shape”
—
Photo Credit: Logra / Shutterstock.com