Although it is not mandatory in the Netherlands to wear face masks in public to prevent the spread of the virus, many people still wear them. And that's okay. However, there are some crucial things you need to know about how to use a non-medical mask correctly, because if used incorrectly, which is quite easy to do, you can put yourself and others at greater risk. We've got some tips here.
We are talking about cloth face masks, not medical ones.
Medical face masks are still only for people who work in healthcare. They need them the most as they are on the front lines caring for patients during this pandemic. If you see a caregiver wearing a cloth face mask, it's likely that they are wearing it over their PPE in an effort to better protect themselves. If you have unused medical masks, consider donating them to a hospital or nursing home.
The use of a cloth face mask is an addition to social distancing guidelines, not a replacement. Your best defense against COVID-19 is to maintain social distancing, wash your hands regularly, and only leave your home for essential errands. According to the World Health Organization, the virus is spread through droplets. You've probably heard that a lot, but what does that mean?
At the most basic level, droplets are large infectious particles that fall quickly from the sky within minutes due to gravity and weight due to a higher moisture content. Airborne particles, called "droplet nuclei," make up a smaller portion of the droplet, and they can float in the air for hours or more. You have to be close to someone, within two meters, to transmit a virus through larger droplets.
Many respiratory viruses, including likely COVID-19, can infect you through multiple routes, including the nose, mouth and eyes. The droplets can also survive on surfaces for about 72 hours, so if you touch a contaminated surface, you can still carry the virus to your face.
Wearing a cloth mask covers those key openings so it could prevent large drops from entering. However, social distancing while doing essential errands and washing your hands should be enough to prevent the spread of the virus. A cloth face mask is most effective at keeping your germs in, rather than keeping others out.
If you are wearing a cloth face mask, do not touch it.
What most people are just starting to realize is how many things they touch in a day, followed by how often they touch their face. Face masks of any kind are uncomfortable and can make you touch your face more by constantly adjusting it. This can be problematic as that is exactly how the virus would enter your body.
Once you have touched the mask, consider yourself infected and wash your hands immediately. If you need to adjust it, just touch it by the strings.
Someone who touches the cloth part of their mask and then a surface can leave parts of the virus there for someone else to touch, thereby inadvertently promoting spread.
Make sure the cloth mask covers nose and mouth with a good fit that does not touch your lips.
A tight fit where the mask covers the nose and mouth, without many openings, with a very fine material should catch droplets. However, the mask cannot be so tight that it touches your lips. If a cloth mask touches your lips and drops have fallen on the fabric, drops can enter your mouth directly. Try wearing one with a high thread count for extra durability. The reverse is also true, your drops can spread to others through the mouth cap.
Depending on the fabric of the mask, you can imagine that you press the mask against your lips, nose and eyes, with moisture buildup from your breath, and then let the infectious part pass through the mask.
After wearing the cloth mask in public, wash it in hot water.
Be careful what you do when you take off the mask. It is best to remove it with the strings and put it directly in the washing machine and then wash your hands. Wash it in hot water to kill the germs. The other option is to put it in a bag and let it sit for 72 hours — that's the time when studies show the virus can survive. Make sure you have different cloth masks and rotate them so that a clean one is always available.
No data or experience with COVID-19 in any other country indicates that cloth face masks are successful in their own right.
If treated properly, the cloth mask is probably better than nothing, but there is no evidence we can cite that it definitely works, or that they are effective against COVID-19. The chance that most people can use a mouth cap is small.
In addition, none of the countries that appear to have COVID-19 under control have used cloth face masks as their only intervention. Extremely strict isolation measures were implemented in China. In South Korea, voluntary social distancing and more testing per capita than any other country were likely important factors.
If you are sick, stay home.
Sick people should still stay at home and away from others. The cloth face mask can trap the virus in large droplets, but if a sick person touches the mask while they are on the street, it could all be useless. Anyone wearing cloth face masks will not be a panacea for the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands.
