CITY OF SEAL BEACH: Helpful PPE Videos

The City of Seal Beach has helpful face covering and glove safety tips in public service announcements on its website

sealbeach.ca.gov.

The announcements were made after the Centers for Disease Control recommended masks to slow the spread of COVID-19 and the City of Seal Beach amended its local emergency proclamation and have required them to be worn.

Even if you are not showing signs or symptoms of the disease, you could be carrying the virus and spreading it to people around you. Wearing a face covering can help slow the spread.

“People are required to wear face coverings such as fabric masks, scarves, neck gaiters or layered paper face coverings when they leave their homes for essential activities such as . . . going to the grocery story, pharmacy or medical office, picking up food, or simply taking a walk,” according to Seal Beach Marine Safety Officer Nick Bolen.

COVID-19 spreads mainly among people who are in close contact with one another (within about six feet), so the use of cloth face coverings is particularly important in settings where people are close to each other or where social distancing is difficult to maintain.

Leisure World residents constitute an especially vulnerable population as the virus tends to be more serious in older people and those with underlying conditions. To keep residents as safe as possible, the GRF is urging everyone to cover their faces and is working to ensure that outside visitors, such as delivery people, wear masks when in LW. LW Security provides handouts on face mask requirements to delivery personal, and most of the companies servicing LW have mandatory mask requirements. Residents are asked to report unmasked delivery workers to their customer service departments (see page 1 for contact list).

There are many kinds of face masks and coverings out there, but the most important thing is to make sure your mouth and nose are covered. Face shields alone are not a substitute for face coverings. According to the CDC, it is not known if face shields provide any benefit as source control to protect others from the spray of respiratory particles.

The CDC does not recommend use of face shields for normal everyday activities or as a substitute for cloth face coverings.

People should also avoid face masks with an exhalation valves. They don’t help protect others. The valve makes it easier for you to exhale, but it also lets your germs out into the air. When it comes to protecting others, a mask with an exhalation valve is like not wearing one at all, experts say.

People don’t need the professional N95 mask, which should be reserved for frontline health workers who have continual exposure to the virus. Studies have shown that a mask made of at least two layers of cloth will be effective as long as it is snug with no large gaps around the top or sides. The best material is a tightly woven cotton, which can include a bandanna.

With everyone working together, the spread of COVID-19 can be reduced. That means wearing cloth face coverings and being diligent about social distancing, frequent handwashing and cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces.