Are you feeling crafty? Now’s the time to start making everyday facemasks to reduce community transmission.
First, we must be clear, wearing a facemask is no guarantee that you won’t get sick – viruses can transmit through the eyes and tiny viral particles can penetrate masks. However it can help prevent you transmitting, particularly if you do not yet recognise you are infectious.
Whether you are showing symptoms or not, wearing a mask can always help to protect others.
In the current case of shortage it is possible to make basic anti-transmission masks and they could come in very useful. Can I reaffirm these are not medical masks. Please note, they, like your hands need washing after use, so why not make several?
There are many online links for making such masks but this pattern has been assessed by a local retired GP and practice nurse as most appropriate:
https://freesewing.org/blog/facemask-frenzy/
Happy sewing!
Update: July 2020
This post got a great deal of criticism in March from keyboard experts who knew it was dangerous and impossible to ask people to cover their faces in a pandemic. However I am used to being Cassandra. Here, four months – and maybe as many as 65,000 deaths later – is the Public Health England pattern:
You’re welcome!
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Mask myths busted: