Get to know your mask really well - you will be using it when you next put on sun skin care products - Really!

News 100 redBy Staff

November 13th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

 

We asked the Regional Medical Officer of Health for some detail on masks.

What kind of mask works best and how do you care for the masks that you purchase. And what should one be looking for when they are buying masks on-line.

Dr Meghani at news conference Hamilton

Dr. Hamidah Meghani, Regional Medical Officer of Health

We didn’t get quite the answers we were hoping but what we did get was certainly detailed enough,

This is what your taxes are paying for:

Masks are most effective when they are worn correctly.

Wear a mask made of three layers, including a middle, filter layer for improved protection. Masks should be made of tightly woven materials such as cotton or linen. Two layer masks do not need to be discarded, instead consider making or buying a three-layered mask when it is time to replace your two-layer non-medical mask.

Wear a mask that fits well around your nose and mouth, without gaps at the sides (for example, cloth mask, balaclava, bandana, or scarf).

Clean your hands before putting on, taking off or adjusting your mask.

Touch only the straps when putting on and taking off a mask.

Avoid touching your mask while wearing it to avoid contaminating your hands.

mask hold by strings

Hold the mask by the strings

If reusable, store in a clean place and wash regularly.

Discard non-reusable masks in a lined garbage bin if damp, soiled or damaged, and wash your hands afterwards.

Do not leave discarded masks on the ground or in shopping carts.

Masks or face coverings with an exhalation valve do not filter virus particles when you breathe out. In order to protect others nearby, wear a non-medical mask, balaclava, bandana, scarf, cloth or other similar item that covers the nose, mouth and chin without leaving a gap between the face and the mask.

mask n95

High end face mask

Medical masks, such as N95 respirators, protect against respiratory droplets from others entering the nose or mouth. Medical masks are needed by healthcare workers for medical procedures and to care for individuals who have COVID-19.

Some employers (that do not provide health care services) may require staff wear medical grade masks in order to meet safety requirements.

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4 comments to Get to know your mask really well – you will be using it when you next put on sun skin care products – Really!

  • Perryb

    Talk about confusing…. The Gazette adds to the problem. the ‘high end’ facemask is just for show, like putting racing stripes on a Corolla.

  • Judy

    See CBC news Nov 13 Marketplace watchdog for article on masks

  • Jan Mowbray

    This advice by the medical officer is totally at odds with her advice to get a 3-layer mask when she then includes “the balaclava, bandana and scarf to protect others and ourselves”. I’ve seen articles in the press that the so-called gator masks are less than useless but so, too, is the single layer bandana, scarf and balaclava. No wonder people are confused. The public needs consistent messaging.

    Consistent messaging isn’t coming from the province – Halton residents need the Halton Health Department to get it right. Sooner, rather than later.

  • John Jacobs

    Most mask advice I have read say do not use a mask with a vent in in. The last image in this article show a man waering a vented mask??