Tips for Making Your Own Face Masks

Coronavirus, or COVID-19, has been making its way across the world since at least January 2020. While many states have issued shelter-in-place rules for their residents, in order to slow the spread of the disease, it’s been only recently that the CDC has issued a new pandemic safety tip: namely, that all adults, including those in Phoenix, AZ, wear masks in public to reduce the virus’s transmission.

Why wearing face masks is important

COVID-19 is a highly-transmissible virus that travels through airborne droplets from sneezing or coughing. The virus can survive on surfaces for hours or days at a time, so if you touch an infected surface and then touch your ears, nose or mouth, you can be infected.

Most people—an estimated 60 to 70 percent—are asymptomatic carriers, meaning they don’t exhibit the fever, shortness of breath and dry cough that characterizes the upper respiratory infection. They can transmit the virus to dozens of others without even knowing it. This is why it’s so important to buy or learn how to make your own face mask in Phoenix, AZ—it will cut down on potential asymptomatic transmission and help you avoid touching your nose and mouth.

Face masks should be used in all public settings, particularly if you’re unable to stay six feet or more away from other people not living in the same household. You don’t need to purchase medical-grade face masks—in fact, thanks to the shortage of N95 masks, CDC officials advise saving those for medical professionals. Instead, you can make your own fabric mask.

How to make your own face mask

If you can’t purchase a mask, making your own is simple—all you need is a t-shirt and scissors. Cut about seven to eight inches from the bottom of the shirt so that you have one wide loop of fabric. Next, laying the loop flat on a table, cut a rectangle about six inches into the fabric. This will leave one wide rectangle of fabric with two thin loops on the top and bottom. Finally, snip the ends of the thin loops to create strings. Wrap the mask around your face and use the strings to tie it behind your head.

Not willing to cut up a t-shirt? We don’t blame you. Using a scarf or bandana will also do the trick. Simply wrap it around your nose and mouth and tie in the back. The thicker the fabric, the better (although there’s no need to wear wool in May), since the idea is to prevent liquid droplets from traveling through the air, where they can be inhaled or land on frequently-touched surfaces.

Finally, if you’re handy with a sewing machine, there are plenty of easy patterns online to create a “finished” mask. Many Etsy sellers have redirected their efforts to producing as many masks as possible, too.

Whether you’re part of a homeowners association, looking to run your own or searching for expert HOA management, the team at Thrive Community Management can help. We take the health and longevity of our communities seriously. Call us today to get additional pandemic safety tips in Phoenix, AZ, or to learn more about our work.

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