Maintaining Your Masks: What You Need to Know About Reusing Face Masks

This pandemic has been going on for over two years now. It is exhausting; this is not news to anyone. From the constant stress to confusing mandates, most people are simply worn out and drained past the point of fear. Part of the issue is how much public information changes, seemingly every day, to the point where it can feel both impossible and unnecessary to keep educated.

Aside from healthcare workers, those in customer-facing occupations may be feeling the pandemic exhaustion more than anyone. After all, they have spent the past two years risking their lives for their paychecks, all the while dealing with cruel customers and uncaring employers. Even while being fully vaccinated, the surge of Omicron around the country is putting millions of “essential” employees at risk of either getting sick or bringing it home to potentially vulnerable loved ones.

What can they do to keep as safe as possible? And what can they do if they get sick anyways?

The do’s and don’ts of reusing face masks

For those who deal with the general public in their daily lives, reusing masks is an inevitability, simply by virtue of them not being free. Not only that, but those in grueling retail and restaurant positions may be too exhausted after work to go through a whole disinfection ritual, and pandemic exhaustion means people may accept more risks than they should.

That being said, reusing masks is not bad. It is “allowed” by the CDC as a practice, and as of now there are no restrictions against it. But just like everything else in our world, there are safe ways to do it to still keep yourself as protected as possible.

DO:

• Keep mental track of how many times a mask has been used, and in what conditions.
• Discard any masks that become soiled with sweat and/or saliva, regardless of how long you have had it.
• Try to keep a stash of masks somewhere easy, like your car, so you can cycle through them and allow time for any COVID particles to die (about 48 hours).
• Wash and sanitize your hands after taking off a mask, and remove it by the ear-loops to avoid touching contaminated fabric.
• Store masks in open, clean, dry spaces — like an unsealed paper bag.

DO NOT:

• Keep any masks with tears or cuts.
• Reuse masks you have sneezed or coughed in.
• Have the same masks in a cycle forever — at some point they all need to be discarded.
• Keep masks that no longer fit properly.

Yes, it can be a lot, but as you can see, this is nothing more than common sense. Use your best judgement when it comes to maintaining your mask. As for choosing what mask is best for you, the criteria you want to use is filtration, breathability, and fit. If you are someone who would be wearing a mask for hours at a time, make sure it is comfortable enough to do so while still being effective. For those who see a lot of traffic, perhaps a stronger mask like an N95 is the best way to go.

What about my cloth masks?

If you, like so many others, went out and bought (or made) a bunch of cute cloth masks, you CAN still wear them – but only outdoors and in socially-distanced situations, if you want to be protected. Remember, cloth masks were Americans’ way of letting healthcare workers, first responders, and other essential workers get first crack as a rapidly-dwindling PPE supply. They were never supposed to be the end all, be all of masks. They’re just not effective against Omicron because they don’t filter the particles well.

If you really hate the idea of a disposable mask, there are reusable ones that filter particles better. They’re not as cool looking, we know – but they’ll keep you safer.

Essential employees are protected by Illinois mask mandates

Public-facing employees all over the country have expressed their grievances about customers refusing to follow mask mandates, often becoming belligerent and abusive when asked to do so. Even worse, employers have a bad habit of putting a possible sale over their employee’s safety, and tell their workers not to confront mandate-breakers at all. While this may avoid an altercation, it does put everyone in the store at risk — especially now.

Even those who are masked and vaccinated can and do get infected with Omicron, and while this seems to be preventing deaths and severe complications, they could still take it home to someone immunocompromised. That is, of course, if the infection does not stick them with the dreaded Long Covid. In those cases, people may not get deathly ill, but may still develop life-long health issues and compromises that we still do not fully understand.

Luckily for retail workers in Illinois, there is an indoor mask mandate that, in theory, takes the choice (and thus the responsibility) away from businesses. Everyone indoors, vaccinated or not, needs to be wearing a mask. Employees, employers, customers, everyone. While this does not necessarily mean that everyone will follow this mandate, it does mean that certain people may have legal options available to them if the law is broken to their detriment.

At Gainsberg Injury and Accident Lawyers, we want you to be safe. Our team has the experience and tenacity to navigate these new legal avenues for the sake of preserving your finances, rights, and way of life. To get started, call us in Chicago today at 312-600-9585 or use our contact form.