The dos and don’ts of wearing, cleaning and disposing of your mask

Many of us have become accustomed to wearing a mask every day to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe from the coronavirus. We all have our own dedicated “mask spot” in our homes. It might be by a door or in a bag so we don’t forget to grab it before we leave the house. We meet friends outside and at a distance or over Zoom to keep us safe.

Even though the initial months of the pandemic are over, it’s important to remember how to wear, clean and dispose of our masks.

Wearing a face mask: By now, you’ve tried a few different types of masks to see which one works best for you. There are masks that have closed loops on each side to put over your ears, ones with ribbons or string on the top and bottom that tie around the base and middle of your head and gaiters that you pull up over your nose and ears. Whichever mask you wear, it’s important that it fits over your nose and chin without any gaps. If you have a mask that goes around our ears, make sure it doesn’t lift up at the corners where the fabric ends and the ties begin. The coronavirus is an airborne virus so our masks must cover our nose and mouths to be effective.

Reusable vs. Disposable: In the early weeks of the pandemic, the public needed to wear reusable cotton masks so that essential workers

When wearing your mask, make sure it covers your nose and mouth and fits securely with no gaping holes.