Cloth masks

[Disney.Dreamin.Dee]

There's not enough to go around and places would have to provide them to you if you cannot get your hands on them. So kinda doubt it.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I've been using the paper masks underneath my cloth lately. No harm in doubling up.

Recently, we've seen CMs at DLR doing this, too.

 

[JenBush]

I could see N95s being encouraged, but I don’t see how they could be required unless they are provided by businesses for all their visitors and employees. I don’t know about other areas, but N95s are still somewhat hard to find in my area.

 

[tvguy]

FWIW, all the people I know who currently have the virus were wearing cloth masks. They clearly don't work very well. I've been wearing KN95 since Delta showed up.

Not sure we can say. Their exposure may not have been through aerosols. Touch your nose, eyes mouth after touching say the credit card reader at the store without washing your hands or sanitizing, you're infected. Which is why hand washing, hand sanitizer and masks together are so important.

 

[dclpluto]

Where I work we have to pass a pulmonary function test to be able to wear a N95 mask.
if your thinking about wearing one and not in good shape. I would keep another mask in your pocket or purse in case you have any problems wearing a N95 mask. at work the pulmonary function test has nothing to do with covid we have been doing this for over 25 years.

 

[anniemae]

You probably don't have the right size. The 3-ply surgical-type masks come in multiple sizes...and with and without a nose wire (which is essential for glasses wearers and does help even more with fit for anyone)...

I feel like they are not designed to fit snug to your face. They just feel so flimsy to me. There are gaps at the cheek. I have tried many different sizes and brands and they all fit the same way. I have ones with nose wires. I will probably start double masking again, which I did with the last surge. I wear a disposable under a cloth one.

 

[Christine]

Cloth masks have never been allowed inside medical offices here. They have always required surgical or N95/KN95.

Something about the melt blown polypropylene in the respirators and surgical masks is far superior at stopping virus particles from moving in or out.

FWIW, all the people I know who currently have the virus were wearing cloth masks. They clearly don't work very well. I've been wearing KN95 since Delta showed up.

Cloth masks have never really offered much protection for the wearer. As I'm sure you know, they help to stop what's coming OUT of your mouth/nose. If everyone wore them, even the cloth masks would do really well at mitigating transmission. Since mask wearing is often spotty, if you're walking around in a cloth mask in a store full of 50 people and if a handful of those people are maskless, you really don't stand a chance.

At least with the N95/KN95/KF94 masks, the wearer is getting some protection too.

 

[kanerf]

As I have COPD, I avoid the KN-95 style masks. They make it very hard for me to breath and since I have reduced lung capacity due to the disease, they are a no go for me.

 

[Christine]

As I have COPD, I avoid the KN-95 style masks. They make it very hard for me to breath and since I have reduced lung capacity due to the disease, they are a no go for me.

I can imagine. I don't have any lung issues, but definitely have issues wearing the KN95s. As long as I don't do anything really active, they are bearable. You might try the KF94s. They are a little more forgiving but still fairlly protective.

 

[NannyBeBe]

I started out wearing cloth masks because I refused to buy masks made in China. When the Armbrust company in Texas started making masks, I purchased their N95 masks and have worn them ever since. I am asthmatic and have no problem wearing them.

 

[Dakota731]

I knew two years ago when I could smell dinner through my cloth mask that it wouldn’t be protecting me from a microscopic virus. It makes no sense at all

 

[maxaroni]

https://envomask.com/
this was recommended by an ICU nurse.

 

[AppleDumpling]

I've been using the paper masks underneath my cloth lately. No harm in doubling up.

I’ve been doing this as well, for quite some time.

I feel like the disposable paper ones are very thin and don't really cover my whole lower face. It's like I can feel the air seeping in on the side gaps when I breath.

The cloth ones cover my whole lower face and just feels tighter and more safe since I can adjust the ear straps, kind of like a seal around my face, but I guess not.

I have a small face and the paper ones are too big, but I tie knots in the ear straps to get a better fit. Cloth with adjustable straps are the best for a snug fit.

I recently got some KN95s, which to me are a more comfortable design. However, from what I understand, a lot of them are “fake”, which makes me leery of how effective they actually are. Also, N95s and KN95s, as well as the regular paper surgical masks, are intended to be single-use disposable products. Yet I know people who re-use them for many days or weeks. At least with cloth, they can be washed.

 

[TippyThomas]

This should end well.

 

[dez1978]

my job requires the n95's but the ones they provide are horrible. They are either really rough material that hurts your face, some of them have the straps stapled to them so the staples dig into your cheeks or the nose peice is wierd. I've resorted to buying them on amazon and hoping for the best.

 

[motherof5]

I thought the mask science was settled but now I keep hearing on the news that cloth masks are not working for the omicron variant. I'm guessing this goes for paper as well? Anyone think they will start requiring N95 masks indoors now?

I doubt it. Those are expensive and needed for hospital personnel.

 

[motherof5]

my job requires the n95's but the ones they provide are horrible. They are either really rough material that hurts your face, some of them have the straps stapled to them so the staples dig into your cheeks or the nose peice is wierd. I've resorted to buying them on amazon and hoping for the best.

I agree they are awful.

 

[ronandannette]

I’ve not spent one minute in a cloth mask (they skeeve me out). My company has provided unlimited supplies of medical grade disposable masks for staff, our families and our customers, so that’s what I’ve always worn. You are not permitted here to wear cloth into medical or dental facilities or on airplanes. No talk of requiring N-95’s though.

 

[sam_gordon]

Not sure we can say. Their exposure may not have been through aerosols. Touch your nose, eyes mouth after touching say the credit card reader at the store without washing your hands or sanitizing, you're infected. Which is why hand washing, hand sanitizer and masks together are so important.

Surface contamination is not thought to be a major cause of spread.

Cloth masks have never really offered much protection for the wearer. As I'm sure you know, they help to stop what's coming OUT of your mouth/nose. If everyone wore them, even the cloth masks would do really well at mitigating transmission. Since mask wearing is often spotty, if you're walking around in a cloth mask in a store full of 50 people and if a handful of those people are maskless, you really don't stand a chance.

At least with the N95/KN95/KF94 masks, the wearer is getting some protection too.

I still don't understand this thought. If a cloth mask can stop the virus from leaving the nose/mouth, then it stands to reason it needs to stop it from entering the nose/mouth. If there are gaps between the mask and the face, yes, that would allow more to get through, but the same could be said of the wearer.

How are the masks "one way" (ie: stop virus from exiting but don't stop from entering)?

 

[sam_gordon]

You are not permitted here to wear cloth into medical or dental facilities or on airplanes.

The US DOES allow cloth masks on airplanes...
https://www.travelandleisure.com/airlines-airports/face-mask-policy-for-every-major-us-airline