Never Sneeze Sideways: 8 Helpful Hints for Mask-Wearing

Who knew we’d have to become experts in mask-wearing? Funny/not funny. No one who wears a mask considers COVID a laughing matter. Given a renewed exponential rise in novel coronavirus cases, we can expect to be in a mask-wearing long-haul. So here are some helpful hints, some from healthcare workers who have their own exponential experience, for wearing a mask:

• When they go low, we go high. (Quote shamelessly stolen from yet gratefully credited to Michelle Obama) Mask-wearers have been called many names, given many disdainful leers, and even been compared to Nazis. We can’t give anti-maskers the satisfaction of a fight. But at the same time we must suppress the urge to give them hell right back. Let the knowledge that you are part of the solution and not part of the cause lead you. We must go high when others go low.
• Still stay a fathom away. Social distancing at a minimum of six feet, even while wearing a mask, lends that extra layer of safety.
• Make sure the mask is a good fit. Notably, a poorly-fitting mask will fog spectacles for those who wear them and this is a constant source of frustration. And obviously, an ill-fitting mask won’t serve its purpose and will prompt frequent adjustments with the taboo maneuver of face-touching. We visited an optician recently and his mask barely skimmed his nose and he naturally kept playing with his mask. So be sure your face covering fits snuggly over both the mouth and nose. Maybe that means adjusting the ties or cinching in the elastic. The best masks with the best fit are good old-fashioned hospital masks with a flexible edge that can be adjusted over the nose, N-95’s (but those are over-kill for window shopping and should be reserved for frontline workers) and cloth masks that taper upward in the middle to accommodate the nose. And speaking of disposable masks:
• Go green. A friend on social media posted a musing on how much of an environmental impact disposable masks will have. It’s an interesting point. Some disposable masks are recyclable, so if these are your best option, double-check before tossing masks in the trash. Or better yet, get a few cloth numbers that can be washed and dried. If you don’t have access to these, a simple no-sew cloth mask can be made from a bandana or an old t-shirt. (How to make a bandana mask: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hcSCgAD8f8 How to make a t-shirt mask: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r51YroAFPds)

• Get into hot water. In a post on news.uga.edu, Travis Glenn, professor of environmental health science at the University of Georgia College of Public Health, “Coronavirus (COVID-19)…dies far faster at higher temperatures.” A virus similar to novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-1, becomes neutralized between temperatures of 130 and 150 degrees Fahrenheit. So if Covid-19 is similarly vulnerable, drying cloth masks on the “high” setting (which is about 130 degrees) for 20 minutes should kill 99.9 percent of the virus. As added insurance, start by washing masks on “hot” as well. (Frequent launderings will help prevent facial irritation as well.)
• Don’t sneeze sideways. Or cough sideways. This advice comes from my husband, a healthcare worker and a chronic mask-wearer, even in pre-pandemic times. While wearing a face mask, sneeze or cough directly into your mask, facing other people. This is not a natural response, after we’ve all learned to turn our heads and then cover our coughs and sneeze in our sleeves. Now the tables are turned again: resist the urge to remove your mask and instead aim the achoo directly into the mask and toward your grocery bagger or restaurant server. Sounds really gross, but not only will this contain more droplets that a shirt sleeve, but it will also direct most, er, spray, into the most secure, central portion of a mask and not out the structurally weak gaps at the sides or top and bottom.
• Strut your style. Find a few masks you won’t mind wearing. Wearing facial coverings is an inconvenience but it’s a necessity and going to be for we don’t know how long. So glam it up. Decorate it with a small patch. Or show your team spirit. Consider your mask an accessory instead of as a restraint or symbol of fear.
• But above all, wear the mask.