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By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
With face masks a part of life for the foreseeable future, a review of the do’s and don’ts can’t hurt.
The Centers for Disease Control, through the Northeast District Department of Health, recommends that cloth face coverings be worn in public settings when around people who don’t live in your household and when it’s difficult to maintain 6 feet of social distancing. Who should not wear one: Children under age 2; anyone who has trouble breathing, is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.
Recommendations call for wearing a face covering to protect others. “Wear a face covering that covers your nose and mouth to help protect others in case you’re infected with COVID-19 but don’t have symptoms,” said the CDC.
How to Wear it Correctly
Wash your hands before putting on your face covering; put it over your nose and mouth and secure it under your chin; try to fit it snugly against the sides of your face; the mask should cover from below your chin to above your nose, and be pinched to fit the bridge of your nose snugly.
Don’t put the face covering around your neck or up on your forehead and don’t touch the face covering. If you do, wash your hands or use hand sanitizer to disinfect. The CDC recommends taking off your face covering carefully when you’re home.
Recommendations for removing the face covering safely include: Untie the strings behind your head or stretch the ear loops; handle only by the ear loops or ties; fold outside corners together. Be careful not to touch your eyes, nose, and mouth when removing and wash hands immediately after removing.
How to Clean Face Coverings:
You can include your face covering with your regular laundry. Use regular laundry detergent and the warmest appropriate water setting for the cloth used to make the face covering. Use the highest heat setting and leave in the dryer until completely dry. Or to air dry: Lay flat and allow to completely dry in direct sunlight.
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