Eleven months after the COVID-19 crisis, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched new guidelines and findings on wearing a well-suited mask to help limit the spread of coronavirus.
Officials from the Santa Barbara County Department of Public Health last week reminded residents of the correct wearing of the mask in the ongoing pandemic.
“When you wear a mask, don’t forget to wear it properly,” County Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso said on Friday. “Wear it when you are inside or when you are in close proximity to others.”
Masks should be worn in addition to being at least six feet away and washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, according to the CDC.
In California, children under the age of 2 are exempt from wearing faces when they are away from home, as are people with “a condition, mental health condition, or disability that prevents them from wearing a face.” officials of the State Department of Public Health.
Wearing a mask remains a key tool in slowing the spread of COVID-19, according to public health officials.
“Masks are extremely important and will not disappear even with the vaccination of half the population,” Dr. Henning Ansorg, the county’s public health officer, said recently in an interview with Noozhawk editor-in-chief Giana Magnoli.
“Schools are safe only when wearing masks and social distance is maintained as much as possible, and then they are quite nice.”
Ansorg said a mask is probably the most important health tool in combat.
The CDC last week offered several tips to improve the mask’s defense against obtaining and spreading the coronavirus.
A sign placed outside the Italian Tino store at 210 W. Carrillo St. Santa Barbara, warns shoppers that masks are needed for entry. (Brooke Holland / Noozhawk photo)
“Masks work best when everyone wears them, but not all masks offer the same protection,” the agency said.
The CDC pointed out that a mask “fits well” over the nose, mouth and chin. It is suggested to wear a mask with a nose wire or a metal band along the tip of the mask, as it prevents air from leaking from the top.
Another recommendation is to use a mask mounting device or a strap over a disposable mask or cloth to prevent air from leaking around the edges.
“If the mask fits well, you will feel warm air entering through the front of the mask and you may see the mask material moving in and out with each breath,” the CDC said.
Public health officials have recommended adding at least two coats of material to some masks, which prevents more respiratory drops from entering the mask or escaping a mask. Wearing one face mask over another includes a disposable mask under a cloth mask or wearing a multi-layer cloth mask, according to the CDC.
“Make sure you can see and breathe easily,” the CDC recommended.
According to the CDC, two disposable masks should not be layered on top of each other and only one KN95 mask should be used at a time.
“Disposable masks are not designed to fit snugly, and wearing more will sometimes not improve the fit,” the CDC said, adding that people should not double-mask a KN95 mask with any other mask.
During the weekly news in the county, on Friday, Ansorg talked about different mask options.
He said an N95 mask, also called a N95 respirator, is designed for healthcare workers. It is mounted because the masks come in several sizes, he added.
In the first months of the crisis, N95 respirators and other personal protective equipment were in small quantities, even in health care conditions.
“At the beginning of the pandemic, we had to ask everyone to refrain from trying to buy them, because there was an international shortage, which has since been resolved,” Ansorg said.
“These masks are now available for purchase, but keep in mind that they must fit snugly over the nose with good sealing so that there is no air leakage to ensure optimal protection for the person wearing them.”
Procedural masks, also called surgical masks, which are usually white-blue or white, have a metal band over the nose for a better fit and usually do not slip like looser cloth masks.
“They were designed to protect my surroundings from the wear and tear of wearers,” Ansorg said. “For example, as a surgeon, you don’t want to contaminate the operating area.”
He continued, pointing to his own mask: “This is good for protecting my surroundings from my own respiratory drops, however, the protection it gives me from other carriers of the virus depends on how closely it fits. ”.
People often place a cloth mask over a procedural mask to better fit.
“I leave that to you,” Ansorg said. “It simply came to our notice then. Some people have managed to double two of these masks and therefore fit better around the nose, cheeks and chin. ”
The CDC recommended knotting the ear curls of a medical procedure mask to better fit the face. Take the mask and fold it from edge to edge (in half), then tie the two pieces of loop of the mask ear and hide and flatten the extra material under the edges.
These steps improve mask filtration by up to 20 percent, said Emily Sickbert-Bennett, director of infection prevention at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in a YouTube video explaining the recommendation.
(UNC Health video)
The CDC has urged people to wear masks whenever they are around others.
Masks are now needed for public transportation, according to the CDC. According to the edict, “people must wear masks that completely cover both the mouth and nose while waiting, boarding, disembarking or traveling on airplanes, ships, ferries, trains, subways, buses, taxis and ride-shares while traveling in , in or outside the US and US territories. ”
In California, wearing a mask is required at the state level and people must wear a face or mask when outside their home, with limited exceptions. Click HERE for more information.
According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Assessments at the University of Washington, surveys showed that about 75% of Californians always wore masks in public in August 2020, and that number has risen to about 81% since then.
When asked by Noozhawk how to properly dispose of a used mask, Ansorg replied, “It all depends on where you are.”
To remove a procedural mask, Ansorg manipulated it only by the ear curls and stretched the ear curls.
“If you are at work or at a restaurant, I would recommend removing the mask without touching the actual area of the face, because otherwise you will contaminate your hands,” he said. “Or when you put it down, you contaminate the surface.
“When you get in the car, alone and take off your mask – it’s not such an important factor.”
He also stressed the hygiene of the mask.
“We want to avoid touching the mask too much, because some secretions, especially when you wear it for an hour at a time, will leak through the material and there will be a little moisture on the outside,” Ansorg said. . “And that could be contagious.”
Cloth masks should be washed “frequently at least once a day,” he said.
Click here for the CDC Mask Guide.
– Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be contacted at . (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Sign in with Noozhawk on Facebook.