You may be surprised to hear that the main aim of wearing a face covering is to stop you from spreading coronavirus to others, rather than to protect yourself. When you cough or sneeze you release droplets in the air. Face masks and coverings work by stopping these droplets from spreading and infecting other people.
What we do know about face masks and coverings is
that they’re only effective if you wear them correctly, whilst also practising
social distancing and washing your hands regularly.
You may have heard the term ‘face-covering’ as well
as ‘face masks’. So what’s the difference?
Face coverings
A face covering mainly offers protection for others and can be any cloth item that you use to cover your mouth and nose. The ability to make face coverings at home opened-up a new world of opportunity, with many individuals starting their own businesses selling homemade masks, leaving vital supplies of face masks for medical professionals and care homes at a time when they were in desperate need. It was wonderful to see communities rallying around to support each other and so great to see the support for small local businesses.
Face masks
Medical or surgical face masks are part of personal
protective equipment (PPE) and are tested to certain standards. They tend to be blue in colour, fit flat
against the face from the nose to the chin and can
be effective as a barrier to airborne droplets. Surgical masks, are single-use, three-ply and
made up of a polymer layer placed between non-woven fabric, offering greater
protection than one or two-ply masks due to the added filtration ability. If you wear these masks please dispose of
them appropriately, it is such a shame to be out walking in our beautiful
village and see them littered in hedgerows.
Respirators
A respirator
mask refers to a tight-fitting device designed as a means of protecting the
user from breathing in or inhaling particulate matter and they offer the
highest protection of all the masks to the wearer. They are commonly referred to as FFP masks
(of which there are various grades, all tested to certain standards and classed
as PPE). There are comfy, reusable
respirators for adults and children such as Cambridge Masks with military
filtration technology. You may have seen
a number of people around the village wearing these masks as the local UK
Distributor, Espère Healthcare, is based in Shefford.
Remember to stay safe
One problem with wearing face coverings is that they can give people a
false sense of security. If you or any of your household have symptoms of
coronavirus, you still need to stay at home.
And it’s still really important to wash your hands frequently and keep
your distance. These measures are known
to be effective and stopping them just because you’re wearing a face-covering
or mask could have a negative effect.
View our full range here.
Comments
Post a Comment