Amidst all the chaos that comes with COVID-19, health professionals have wavered back and forth when it comes to wearing and making antiviral face masks, though the CDC now recommends that people wear a mask when leaving the house.
Around the world, it has become the norm to go grocery shopping with a mask covering your nose and mouth, and after checking out, quickly racing to your car to douse your hands with hand sanitizer. While wearing a mask is usually a choice made by the person wearing it, it has now become a requirement in some locations, such as New York and Austria, according to the New York Times.
This recommendation of wearing some type of face protection has led to many different variations ― such as a scarf or bandana. But some have interpreted it as an opportunity to make their own DIY face masks, which is what junior Athena Bradshaw has been doing.
“My mom wanted something to help protect us from allergens when we were cleaning the house, and for a little more protection from [COVID-19] when we went out to the grocery store,” Bradshaw said. “Right now we have six [homemade masks] that we use for ourselves so that we’re not using other resources.”
According to Bradshaw, anyone can make these ― it’s a quick, beginner project that can be made within a few minutes. The method used to make them can also be adjusted to fit the supplies that you have laying around at home. Bradshaw uses a piece of flannel, a piece of cotton, bias tape and twist ties to make hers.
A professionally-made mask isn’t necessary to protect yourself from the coronavirus. The virus is spread through coughing, sneezing or talking, so a make-it-yourself mask is adequate protection, according to USA Today.
There are several different variations that you can find, some of which even get around having to use a needle and thread, according to CNN. A common way to make masks is cutting a piece of fabric into two identical rectangles that you place on top of each other. Then you fold both the bottom and top sides in and sew them, doing the same to both the left and right sides. Leave a gap on the right and lefts sides, large enough to thread a piece of elastic through, and then knot the elastic. You can also sew over the elastic to secure it in place.
Before making your own cloth masks, it’s important to note that they will not prevent you from contracting the virus, but rather from spreading it, according to USA Today. N95 respirators and surgical masks prevent you from contracting the virus, but are reserved for hospitals and healthcare workers, according to the CDC.
Making these masks is not only necessary during an outbreak like this, but making them can also be a way to pass the time during social distancing. Businesses such as JOANN are accepting mask donations. To help them reach their goal of 100 million masks, you can drop off homemade masks to select locations which will then be sanitized and distributed to hospitals and healthcare systems, according to their website.
Even though using a homemade mask isn’t as protective as a professional-grade surgical mask, they still prevent the spread of COVID-19 while reserving the use of surgical masks for professionals.
Related
Leave a Reply