How to Wear a Face Mask: The Right Way
At the beginning of May, President Trump visited the Honeywell mask factory in Phoenix, Arizona where N-95 respirators are manufactured. Ironically, the President did not wear a mask.
On April 3rd, the CDC issued out recommendations for Americans to wear face coverings at all times in public. It’s meant to stop the spread of COVID-19, which has already wrecked the U.S. economy and killed hundreds of thousands of people.
During a briefing on the same day, President Trump questioned whether a face mask was for him: “Well, I just don’t want to wear one myself. It’s a recommendation; they recommend it. I’m feeling good. I just don’t want to be doing—I don’t know, somehow sitting in the Oval Office behind that beautiful Resolute Desk—the great Resolute Desk—I think wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens, I don’t know. Somehow, I don’t see it for myself. I just—I just don’t. Maybe I’ll change my mind, but this will pass and hopefully it’ll pass very quickly.”
It seems like the day has come and Trump wore a mask in public for the first time on July 11th. He flew to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he met wounded service members and health care providers caring for COVID-19 patients.
“Well, I’ll probably have a mask, if you must know. I mean, I’ll probably have a mask. I think when you’re in a hospital, especially in that particular setting, where you’re talking to a lot of soldiers and people that, in some cases, just got off the operating tables, I think it’s a great thing to wear a mask. I’ve never been against masks, but I do believe they have a time and a place,” he told reporters.
He got some backlash for pulling the mask below his nose at some point during the visit.
Tara Parker-Pope summarized how NOT to wear a mask in her article for the New York Times:
- Don’t wear a mask below your nose.
- Don’t wear a loose mask with gaps on the sides.
- Don’t leave your chin exposed.
- Don’t wear your mask so it covers just the tip of your nose.
- Don’t tuck your mask under your chin. It’s not a chin guard.
How to wear a face mask the right way:
- Your mask should snuggly cover your face and be the right size.
- Your mask should cover your face from the bridge of your nose all the way down under your chin.
- Tighten loops or ties if they are too long for you.
- Always wash your hands before putting your mask on.
- Use ties or loops to put the mask on and take it off. Don’t touch the front of the mask itself.
- Wash and dry your reusable cloth mask every day.
Let’s face it: it’s crucial you wear your face mask. And just as important: wear your face mask the right way!
