PSA: Mask Wearing

Bay Path University PSA for March 3, 2021

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BPU COVID REPORT

Why do Masks Help?

COVID-19 is an airborne virus that spreads by respiratory droplets. Clinical studies have found when we speak we expel droplets that will evaporate and turn into aerosolized particles. These particles will linger in the air and enter through the nose and mouth. Wearing a mask provides a barrier that keeps respiratory droplets from expelling into the air. Mask wearing has proven effective in blocking droplets from an infectious person, particularly during speech, coughing and sneezing.

Types of Masks

There are many masks out there and you may be asking yourself which mask is right for you.

Cloth Masks: Recommended use for the general public by the CDC. Cloth masks should have multiple layers of tightly woven, breathable fabric. Nose wires are recommended as they help decrease escaping air. Your mask should block light. Make sure there are no exhalation valves or vents as they can expel droplets. Cloth masks can either be washed by hand or in a washing machine with laundry detergent and dried in a dryer or lay flat and let dry by air completely.

Disposable Masks: Look for masks made of multiple layers of non-woven material and a nose wire. If you need a better fit, try combining with a cloth mask, fitter, or the knot and tuck method. Make sure the mask fits snugly around the nose and face. You do not want gaps.

N-95 Respirators: Recommended use by health care workers in medical situations. Designed to have a very close facial fit and form a seal around the nose and mouth. Those individuals required to wear N-95 Respirators should be measured properly for fit. N-95 Respirators are for single use only

Are two masks better than one?

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention research finds wearing a surgical mask underneath a cloth mask, a concept known as double masking can vastly improve the protection for the wearer.

Turns out wearing two masks really is better than one. New research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that double-masking can vastly improve protection from the coronavirus. The CDC is offering updated advice on face coverings as new, more transmissible variants of the coronavirus spread across the U.S.

Are you wearing your mask correctly?

This may be a common question that arises in your classroom, workspace, or at home. To wear a mask correctly make sure it fits snugly around the nose, mouth and chin. There should be no holes or gaps, and no constant adjustment. This can be an indication the mask is too big.

Here is how not to wear your mask:

1. Not around your neck
2. Not on your forehead
3. Not under your nose
4. Not only on your nose
5. Not on your chin
6. Not on your arm
7. Not dangling from one ear
8. Questions:

Students contact Health Services at healthservices@baypath.edu
Employees contact Erica Blyther at eblyther@baypath.edu