What Parents Should Know About Cloth Masks

We, as parents, have enough knowledge about these masks so we can properly equip everyone, most especially our family members, as to when, where, and how to wear these masks.

- Jane Kingsu Cheng

We’re almost done with the second month of lockdown and we will, most probably, ease our way back to some normalcy soon. Though a majority of us will still be staying at home, we will still go out eventually, whether on a grocery run or on other essential errands. This new normal we are about to face will require all of us to wear masks (because it’s mandatory) every time we step out of the house. It is best that we, as parents, have enough knowledge about these masks so we can properly equip everyone, most especially our family members, as to when, where, and how to wear these masks.

Cloth, surgical, or N95?

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cloth masks are enough where social distancing (six feet apart) isn’t possible. Supermarkets and banks fall under this category. Surgical masks have a water-repellant feature that makes it fluid resistant. They are worn by people who need to go to the hospital and healthcare workers who do not have direct contact with infected patients. N95 masks, as the name entails, can block 95 percent of the particles including aerosols. This is the trusted type of masks for frontliners who are exposed to the virus and should be allocated for them.