Cedars-Sinai Environmental Services team member John Dargan demonstrated the proper positioning of a face mask to offer maximum protection. (photo courtesy of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center)

As stay-at-home orders are eased and businesses begin reopening, it’s likely that wearing a mask in public will be encouraged for the foreseeable future. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center has provided information about wearing masks because they must be used correctly to effectively slow the speed and transmission of COVID-19.

“Properly using a mask is just as important as actually wearing one,” said infectious disease specialist Rekha Murthy, vice president of medical affairs and associate chief medical officer at Cedars-Sinai. “Possibly the most important thing to remember is that you should not rely solely on masks. Masks should be used in combination with other preventive measures, like washing your hands and practicing physical distancing.”

Murthy and Carole Guinane, executive director of ambulatory surgery center operations at Cedars-Sinai, offered tips for proper mask use and care.

The best practices for putting on and taking off a mask start by washing your hands with soap and water, or by cleaning them with alcohol-based sanitizer. When placing a mask on your face, ensure both the mouth and nose are covered with no gap between your face and the mask.

“Once the mask is on, avoid touching your face at all,” Murthy said. “If you have to touch your mask for any reason, immediately clean your hands with sanitizer or soap and water before and after doing so.”

When taking a mask off, remove it from behind, without touching the front of the covering. Discard it immediately in a closed bin and then promptly wash hands with soap and water, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Every type of mask and every mask manufacturer seems to have different rules for cleaning and re-using masks, but, as a general best practice, masks should be discarded and replaced as soon as they become damp, Guinane said. Single-use masks should not be reused, she added.

“For cloth masks, however, most can be reused,” Guinane added. “But they should be cleaned in a washer and dryer as soon as they become damp.”

Murthy stressed the importance of reserving surgical masks and N95 respirators for healthcare workers.

“These types of personal protective equipment are in short supply and shouldn’t be used by members of the community,” Murthy said.

For information, visit cedars-sinai.org and who.int.