As a worried parent myself, I’ve asked this question many times. After all, all I want is the safety of my family. However, with this question, many others followed: How do face masks work? Which ones should I buy? How to get my children to wear them? And so on… So, I decided to do something about it. I’ve researched plenty about it and now I want to share with others that might be asking themselves the same questions what I found out.
How do face masks work.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has started advising Americans to wear masks since the beginning of the month but why is this? Good question. Masks are used to reduce the potential transmission of the virus from the mask wearer to others by catching droplets of moisture that might contain the virus thus, not letting it spread further. Face masks are also handy to prevent you from touching your mouth and nose whilst outside.
These masks differ from respirators which are used by healthcare workers and other essential workers to protect them from exposure to contaminants in the air.
It’s also important to wear a face mask correctly and to understand that the use of a face mask is only a complement to other coronavirus prevention guidelines, such as regular hand washing and social distancing.
Which ones should you buy?
For the general public, fabric masks and homemade masks are recommended. This doesn’t include surgical face masks and N95 respirators as these are highly needed by health care workers. For key workers, Aviation Spares has a wide collection of medical face masks and other personal protective equipment available.
Children and face masks.
Kids might be apprehensive about wearing a face mask but don’t just assume this from the start. Instead, as this article on the Los Angeles Times explains, introduce the idea of wearing a mask to your children and ask them what they think. “They may be excited about wearing a mask with a fun pattern or their favorite color.”
Another way to make them more comfortable wearing masks is by practicing wearing a mask at home. Making masks at home can also be a fun activity for the whole family to do together!
How have you introduced masks to your kids?
