https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/03/19/opinion/guidance-against-wearing-masks-coronavirus-is-wrong-you-should-cover-your-face/
Opinion article excerpts in the Boston Globe: Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan, routinely use masks.
So what needs to be done here in the United States? Cover your face. Nonmedical masks should be worn by everyone going outside. Inexpensive cloth masks are available for purchase online. Alternatively, scarves, bandana-style neck gaiters, and other similar face coverings can work effectively. Masks should be placed over the mouth and nose and removed carefully, without touching the outside surface, and cloth masks should be washed frequently.
We must also encourage others to cover their faces too. We need to change our perception that masks are only for sick people and that it’s weird or shameful to wear one. Instead, donning a mask needs to be seen as a responsible action to protect the wearer’s health and the health of those in close proximity to her. If our political leaders and cultural influencers put on masks, we could change our social attitudes and norms rapidly.
This will not be easy. Adding further instructions on top of everything we are being asked to do to stop COVID-19 could lead to overload and fatigue. However, handwashing, social distancing, and doing your best not to touch your face are not enough to stop the coronavirus. For the health of your neighbor and yourself, wear a mask.
Shan Soe-Lin is managing director of the Boston-based Pharos Global Health Advisors and a lecturer in global health at the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs at Yale University. Robert Hecht is the president of Pharos Global Health Advisors and a clinical professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health.
Editor's Note: From Providence: https://www.providence.org/lp/100m-masks
Resources for hospitals, clinics and health systems
We have received many requests from our health-care colleagues across the country about the steps we have taken to make our own face shields.
Here is the step by step guide we have used.
How to make our face masks
This video tutorial is intended for volunteers who have been selected to help us make masks. Our product uses medical grade material that is not available commercially. We are supplying volunteers with this specific material. Masks created with alternative materials may not have the same effectiveness.
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