The do's and dont's of wearing a face mask

While many businesses, public facilities as well as some cities are requiring the use of a face mask, guidelines on the proper function and use of any type of face covering is essential. The Mississippi State Department of Health recommends following suggestions put in place by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The following is a summary of those recommendations.

To wear a face covering correctly, take the following steps: wash your hands before putting on your face covering; put it over your nose and mouth and secure it under your chin; try to fit it snugly against the sides of your face and make sure you can breathe easily. Don’t put the covering around your neck or up on your forehead and Don’t touch the face covering, and, if you do, wash your hands. To remove a face mask properly, it should be done carefully, when at home: untie the strings behind your head or stretch the ear loops; handle only by the ear loops or ties; fold outside corners together; place covering in the washing machine (to learn more about how to wash cloth face coverings visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus) and be careful not to touch eyes, nose, and mouth when removing. Wash hands immediately after removing.

It is important to note that children under age two, or anyone who has trouble breathing, is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance should not wear a face covering of any kind.

Use of a face mask not only protects the wearer but also protects others in the community, especially the most vulnerable. It helps protect others in case the wearer is infected but doesn't have symptoms and wearing one in public provides protection when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.

Cloth face coverings, essentially, are an additional step to help slow the spread of COVID-19 when combined with every day preventive actions and social distancing in public settings. For more information visit https://msdh.ms.gov and https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus.