Refinery 29
Do you need to wear two masks?
This story has been updated to reflect the new information from the CDC. It was originally published on January 22, 2021. Until now, I never leave home without a face mask. I even keep extras in my car and, at home, I have a wide variety of coatings in different patterns and colors. Even so, I never thought about bending over and wearing two masks at the same time – until I attended the presidential inauguration on January 20. Like me, you may have seen several key participants and speakers – including poet Amanda Gorman – wearing not one, but two masks. The first layer used to be a white mask (which appeared to be disposable) and the top layer was a cloth cover. Was that a fashion statement? Extra protection against what appeared to be a cold winter day? Or, with new, potentially more contagious strains of COVID-19 beginning to spread, should we strengthen our mask game? Some countries are changing their mask requirements in order to combat the new variants of COVID-19 – although they do not explicitly recommend the double mask. Germany now requires people to wear medical-grade facial masks (like N95s or surgical masks) on public transport or in supermarkets, reports The Washington Post. France recently did the same, forcing people to wear medical-grade masks or fabric masks with “Category 1” specifications, which have been proven to block at least 90% of particles in public places, according to CNN. This means that many fabric masks will not work in these countries. “We are not questioning the masks used so far,” Daniel Camus, a member of the Higher Council for Public Health in France, told the French public broadcaster. “But since we have no new weapons against the new varieties, the only thing we can do is to improve the weapons we already have.” To be clear: no one is saying that cloth masks don’t work. They offer significant protection against the spread of COVID-19. And in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommend that “people wear masks in public settings, at events and meetings, and wherever they are around other people.” But on February 10, the CDC updated its website with new recommendations on how to improve the effectiveness of your face mask, and the update addresses the double mask. The agency advises the use of a cloth mask with several layers of fabric or the use of a disposable mask with a layer of cloth on top. The CDC update focuses a lot on the fit: The agency says the second fabric mask should push the edges of the inner disposable mask against your face for better protection. As for what not to do, the CDC advises not to fold the disposable masks (this will not improve the fit, they say) or to combine the KN95 masks with any other mask. If your favorite cloth mask has a layer on it or if the fabric is getting thin (because you’ve washed it a lot), Abisola Olulade, MD, family medicine doctor in San Diego, says folding can be a smart strategy. To adhere to these new CDC guidelines, wear a disposable mask under the cloth mask and you are ready to go. As long as using the additional layer does not affect your breathing capacity or painfully tight fit, folding can provide the necessary protection – especially if you are in closed areas where social distance may not be possible, such as taxis, grocery stores or beauty salons, says Dr. Olulade. But when she spoke to Refinery29, she said that, for now, she would recommend using a single, well-fitting two- or three-layer mask that was approved by the CDC instead of using two or one-layer masks that were not approved. It is worthless: unlike France or Germany, for now, the CDC does not recommend that everyone wear medical-grade masks in public – for good reason. “Health professionals have a higher risk of exposure and more frequent exposure, so the guideline now is to preserve [medical-grade masks] for health professionals, because if people buy surgical masks, this can limit access to PPE ”, explains Dr. Olulade. No matter how many masks you are wearing, it is still important to distance yourself socially from others, wash your hands frequently and stay at home and avoid public places as much as possible. We will not wear masks forever – but we will wear them for much longer if we do not continue to take precautions that we know will work. Like what you’re seeing? How about a little more kindness R29, right here? 10 face masks that don’t fog your glasses How Biden plans to use defense production law These pandemic activities are no longer safe