By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
The new face of COVID-19 is under a mask.
Over the weekend, local residents found themselves creating homemade masks for when they venture outside their homes. Some were sewn, others were fabricated using handkerchiefs and rubber bands.
“I made my mask yesterday, and it’s hanging by the door with my keys,” said Sandy Wiechman, of Bowling Green.
Not a seamstress, she used a handkerchief and hair ties.
“Since it’s been recommended, I get it. We just need to do it,” Wiechman said of the new CDC advisory. She plans to make a couple more masks today to put in her car.
“I want an extra one in my car in case someone needs it,” she said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now advising Americans to voluntarily wear basic fabric face masks when they go out to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.
After weeks of advising that healthy people did not need to wear masks in most circumstances, federal health officials decided to change their guidance in response to growing evidence that people who do not appear to be sick are playing a large role in the transmission of COVID-19.
Larry and Gail Nader, of Bowling Green, heeded the advice.
“Gail just brought one up to me to try on that she just made,” Larry said this morning. Since Gail has sewing skills, his mask is stitched together.
“Hearing about it, it just makes sense,” he said of the new CDC recommendation.
Nader said he doesn’t plan to wear his mask when he’s out walking the dogs.
“I maintain a very good social distance,” he said, noting that he crosses the street if anyone else is walking toward him.
But Nader does plan on donning his mask when he goes out to get groceries.
“I just don’t want to chance it,” he said. “Bowling Green has been pretty safe. But it’s going to be getting worse.”
CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain – such as at grocery stores and pharmacies – especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.
According to the CDC, the use of simple cloth face coverings may slow the spread of the virus and help people who have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others. Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure.
Over the weekend, Janet Parks and Dolores Black, of Bowling Green, fashioned their masks from BGSU neck warmers they had at home.
The pair don’t venture out much now, but did go to Oak Openings Sunday to meet – at a distance – with family members, including Black’s 3-year-old great-grandson.
“We had on masks and we maintained our distance,” Parks said.
Now that the CDC has come out with the mask advisory, Parks and Black felt compelled to follow the recommendation.
“Anything you feel like you can do,” Parks said.
Local governmental offices are considering how to handle the CDC advisory.
“It’s probably going to take everyone a little while to figure it out,” said Alex Aspacher, community outreach coordinator with the Wood County Health Department. He stressed that the recommendation is for people to wear homemade masks, “instead of surgical masks, so people aren’t using masks needed for health care workers.”
Bowling Green Assistant Municipal Administrator Joe Fawcett said the city would be discussing recommendations for its employees.
Bowling Green Police Lt. Dan Mancuso said the police division will likely issue a public statement if a decision is made to require officers to wear masks – just so local residents are not startled by seeing masked police.
Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn said his office made a decision this morning to allow – but not require – deputies to wear masks if they wish. Masks have been required for deputies working in the jail, Wasylyshyn said.
Last week after the CDC advisory was issued, Gov. Mike DeWine said he would not require Ohioans to wear masks – but he does recommend their use. And he encouraged employers to allow employees to wear them.
Ohio Health Department Director Dr. Amy Acton said Saturday that homemade masks “won’t make you bulletproof” against the coronavirus, but will help with slowing its spread and “buying us time.”
Cloth face coverings should—
- fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face
- be secured with ties or ear loops
- include multiple layers of fabric
- allow for breathing without restriction
- be able to be laundered and machine dried without damage or change to shape
Cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.
The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators. Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance.
They should be routinely washed depending on the frequency of use. A washing machine should suffice in properly washing a face covering.
Individuals should be careful not to touch their eyes, nose, and mouth when removing their face covering and wash hands immediately after removing.
Following is more information on masks, including how to make them from common household items:
