No-sew face mask made from an old t-shirt (better than a bandanna, not as good as an N95)

The New York Times reported, in an article published Jan. 14, 2022:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/14/health/cloth-masks-covid-cdc.html

“The C.D.C. concedes that cloth masks do not protect against the virus as effectively as other masks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday clarified its stance on various kinds of masks, acknowledging that the cloth masks frequently worn by Americans do not offer as much protection as surgical masks or respirators.”

The CDC current webpage on choosing masks, is at:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/masks.html

Originally, in Feb. 2021, this webpage said:

  WHY DO THIS? To comply with health rules about wearing at least a simple fabric face covering when in public, (but not using up the professional surgical masks or respirators, needed by health care professionals), you can make a face mask from an old t-shirt without needing to use a sewing machine or even a needle and thread (also known as a Quick Cut face mask).

The face covering at this page will not be at all as effective as a surgical mask at blocking bacterial and viral aerosols, and it will not fit as well. But it will cover your face better than a bandanna and is much more comfortable than the no-sew masks you may have seen that use rubber bands behind your ears to hold them on. (At the end of this webpage is a link to a tutorial on how to sew a face mask.)

The New York Times reported: “Guidance on whether to use a face mask has been evolving. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that healthy and sick Americans wear basic cloth masks in public

— a result of new concerns that the coronavirus is spread by infected people who have no symptoms.

It is still most important to limit trips outside and wash your hands frequently. Civilians should not use medical-grade masks, which are in short supply and must be reserved for health care workers on the front line.

But wearing a mask can help limit the spread of respiratory droplets, which in turn spread the new coronavirus.”

   

When the City of Cupertino, California instituted an order requiring face masks when out in public, it included these notes:

“A Halloween or plastic mask does not comply with the order.
A ski mask with holes for the nose or mouth does not comply with the order. . .

Children 2 years old and under cannot safely use a face covering. There could be a risk of suffocation for children so young.”

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In February, 2021, we read in the New York Times

“BREAKING NEWS
C.D.C. research finds that tightly fitted masks, or doubling up with both cloth and surgical masks, could reduce virus transmission by up to 96.5%.

Wednesday, February 10, 2021 12:00 PM EST

Wearing a mask — any mask — reduces the risk of infection with the coronavirus, but wearing a more tightly fitted surgical mask, or layering a cloth mask atop a surgical mask, can vastly increase protections to the wearer and others, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Wednesday.

New research by the agency shows that transmission of the virus can be reduced by up to 96.5 percent if both an infected individual and an uninfected individual wear tightly fitted surgical masks or a cloth-and-surgical-mask combination.”

I am leaving this webpage up since it has been linked to from various sources, but would like people reading it to consider the C.D.C. advice above and not just use the mask they can create at this webpage.

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