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Tips on Mask Wearing
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Sadly, the coronavirus
pandemic has forced much of the world to include this simple piece of
protective wear (Face Mask) in their daily checklist when leaving the
home.
1. What to do when you
need to adjust your mask?
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| Avoid Touching the outside of the Face Mask |
Experts say you should avoid touching the
outside of the mask as much as you can.
Researchers at the University of Hong Kong have found that,
at room temperature, the coronavirus (formally named Sars-Cov-2) could
remain on the outer layer of a surgical face mask for up to seven days.
“The main issue about touching the mask is
that the mask might be contaminated by virus so you might get virus on your
hands,” said Keiji Fukuda, director at the School of Public Health at the
University of Hong Kong.
“If you do touch it, then as soon as
possible, wash or sanitize your hands with an alcohol-based cleaner.”
Since it’s hard to resist touching the mask
when you feel it sliding down our nose, you should bring a sanitizer when going
out, and remember to clean your hands each time you adjust your
masks.
2. How to prevent your
glasses from getting foggy?
It’s normal for masks to make your glasses
foggy as they are not 100% airtight, said Ivan Hung, a medical professor at the
University of Hong Kong.
Some strategies to combat foggy glasses are
to tighten the mask around the back of the head or ensure the metal wire is
molded around the nose bridge.
If it doesn’t help, applying some anti-fog
spray on the lenses may also help.
3. What to do with your
mask when you are eating?
You should take off your mask while eating,
instead of pulling it underneath your chin or leaving it hanging on one
ear.
Hong Kong’s medical sector lawmaker
Dr Pierre Chan has suggested wrapping a used mask inside
a piece of facial tissue if you need to take it off temporarily to eat or
drink.
When you need to put the mask back on,
avoid touching its surface and discard the tissue.
Restaurants
sometimes offer envelopes to customers that are meant to be mask-storage
containers during the meal.
4. How to wash fabric
masks?
Do not reuse surgical masks. In
late-January, Hong Kong experienced a minor debate about whether or not
steaming a mask like a dumpling could allow people to reuse the product.
Scientists have rejected the practice.
For reusable cloth masks, often sold in
grocery stores, Dr Ho Pak-leung from the University of Hong Kong has recommended washing it with 1:99
diluted household bleach (mixing 1 part of 5.25% bleach with 99 parts of water)
as well as soap.
After that, rinse the masks with water
thoroughly to prevent allergies caused by the bleach.
5. How to prevent masks
from causing pain to your ears?
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| Prevent Mask from causing Pain to your Ear |
Many people have also complained of the
straps of masks causing itching or pain to their ears. And internet users have
shared their own tricks to solve the problem.
Some said they wrapped bandages around the
straps to ease the pain. Others have invented “ear savers” – simple devices that help tie
the earloops behind one’s head.
Another option is to use
masks with loops that go around your head instead of ears.
