Face masks explained
As we all gear up to come out of Lockdown many of us are a little confused about wearing face masks. At TheMusiciansOptician we have invested heavily in PPE and other protective equipment to keep all our clients and team safe. So we thought we would explain what PPE is available and explain what the three primary types of face masks are.
When you hear about face masks for COVID-19 prevention, it’s generally three types:
Homemade cloth face mask
Surgical mask
N95 respirator
Let’s explore each of them in a little more detail below.
The homemade cloth face mask
To help prevent the spread of the virus the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now recommending that we should all wear cloth face masks while in public places, such as the supermarket.
This is because it’s often difficult to maintain a 6-foot distance from others. CDC recommends that most of us (except for those in at-risk groups) wear these masks in addition to continued social distancing and proper hygiene practices.
Surgical masks
These are disposable, loose-fitting face masks, they cover your nose, mouth, and chin. We will be using these to protect our team members from sprays, splashes, and large-particle droplets. We will also have these masks available for our clients to wear during their visit, should they wish.
The surgical masks help to prevent the spread of potentially infectious respiratory secretions from the wearer to others.
These masks can vary in design, but the surgical mask itself is often flat and rectangular in shape with pleats or folds.
At the top of the mask, there is a small metal strip that can be formed to your nose. Straight ties or elastic help to hold a surgical mask in place while being worn. These can either be looped behind your ears or tied behind your head.
N95 respirator
This mask is much more tight-fitting. In addition to splashes, sprays, and large droplets, this mask can also filter out 95% of very small particles including viruses and bacteria.
All our staff will wear these to protect you and with all the other safety measures in practice you can rest assured we take client safety very seriously.
