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Following the announcement of a roadmap for easing out of lockdown late last week by the PM, there was also a decision on the wearing of face coverings or face masks which followed the next day. The previous advice that only frontline workers should wear masks has now changed. The emphasis is now for the general public to wear masks as part of an overall strategy to get the country back to work and to some sense of normality.
So what has changed regarding the advice on Face masks?
During the first phase of the Coronavirus outbreak the worry was that if general advice was given to wear face masks then frontline NHS and key workers in desperate need of life saving PPE would find it even harder to get the equipment they needed. Now that the peak of the infection has passed and there is a need to get people safely back into society, face coverings can be one of many ways to achieve this.
The important thing to note about the wearing of facemasks is that a face mask for public use should be worn as a protection for others against you asymptomatically transmitting Covid-19.
This then is a common misconception about the use of face masks in the fight against this pandemic. It is true that wearing a face mask may not stop the wearer from contracting the infection as Coronavirus can enter through the eyes or when the wearer inadvertently touches their face while removing their mask unsafely. However if everyone were to wear a face covering or face mask while out shopping, working or other situations where proper social distancing is not possible, then the chance of an asymptomatic wearer spreading the virus is greatly reduced.
It’s a cultural thing
We Brits can be slow to adopt measures that in some countries are commonplace. Face masks were already a vital piece of clothing in some Far Eastern cities, as a safeguard against pollution, before anybody knew about Coronavirus. Wearing protective face coverings to guard against transmitting Coronavirus didn’t present the cultural shift there that it does here in the UK.
While some people have opted to wear scarves wrapped around their faces and more and more people are donning homemade masks when out shopping it is something that people are not naturally comfortable with. The more people that wear comfortable and safe masks, the easier it will be for everybody to join together in adding another layer of protection against a possible second spike in the pandemic.
What are the best types of Face mask?
One of the most important qualities a face mask should have is comfort.
For normal life to gradually resume society will be spending an increasing number of hours per day in situations which should require the use of a face mask. Wearing a homemade mask with one or two layers of cotton will provide a solution BUT it comes at a cost. Breathing through cotton for long periods of time will mean that the face mask becomes saturated with the condensation from your own breath and will be very unpleasant to wear.
Disposable paper masks will also present this problem and you will need more of them to do the job of a really good one.
The Medasun Face Mask is a specially designed reusable antibacterial face mask which is durable, comfortable and uses Coolmax technology to actively wick moisture away from your face, meaning comfortable use for much longer. It can also be washed and worn safely many, many times.
There is also a right and a wrong way to wear a facemask and a way to safely remove one.
Find out more about our antibacterial face coverings and how to wear them safely here:
