CDC Issues New Coronavirus Guidelines, Recommends the Use of Face Coverings

Image courtesy of Mark Claus via Unsplash

The Centers for Disease Controls and Prevention (CDC) has issued new guidelines on coronavirus (COVID-19) protection, and is now recommending the use of cloth face coverings in public settings.

According to the CDC, the virus is believed to spread primarily from person-to-person, through respiratory droplets that are produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby and may even be inhaled into the lungs.

As such, the CDC is now recommending people wear "cloth face coverings in public settings  where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission."

It should be noted that wearing a cloth face covering will not do much to protect the wearer from becoming infected. Rather, the face covering is meant to protect others in case the wearer has the coronavirus and does not know it.

In Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti advised Angelenos to wear protective face coverings one day before the CDC made its recommendation.

"We want you to kceep your respiratory droplets to yourself," said Garcetti during his April 2 press briefing. "And that's what a protective face covering can do."

"Data shows many folks who are infected are asymptomatic and can become super-spreaders, infecting people they come into contact with," said Garcetti. "Together with physical distancing and staying at home, adding a protective face covering is another tool to slow the spread."

Garcetti emphasized, however, that N95 face masks and other medical grade masks are reserved for medical workers. "Using an N95 mask yourself if you're not one of them could cause a doctor or nurse their lives," he said.

According to the California Department of Public Health (DPH), a cloth face covering is "a material that covers the nose and mouth. It can be secured to the head with ties or straps or simply wrapped around the lower face. It can be made of materials, such as cotton, silk, or linen." Face covering can be improvised from household items like scarves, shirts, or towels.

Wearing a face covering, however, does not eliminate the need for physical distancing.

During his Thursday press briefing, Mayor Garcetti said, "This is not an excuse, by the way, to break out of the Stay at Home order…It's when you are out in public already today, getting groceries, pharmacies, other essential stops. Protect those workers, protect the delivery workers, and protect all other non-medical essential workers when we interact with them by wearing that face covering."

The DPH provided a brief guide on how to care for your cloth face covering. "It's a good idea to wash your cloth face covering frequently, ideally after each use, or at least daily," the DPH says. "Have a bag or bin to keep cloth face coverings in until they can be laundered with detergent and hot water and dried on a hot cycle. If you must re-wear your cloth face covering before washing, wash your hands immediately after putting it back on and avoid touching your face."

Guides on how to make a cloth face covering a home can be found online.