Coronavirus cases around the world continues to rise and more people are at the risk of contracting the deadly disease meanwhile in the US, those who are more at the risk are the healthcare workers who are at the front-line of the battle against the disease. The continuous shortage of medical gears and face masks had prompted the CDC to advise the US citizens to stop buying some types of Face masks such as the N95 face mask.

And because of this, the members of the general public are being urged to wear fabric masks instead. Even though wearing of Face masks initially wasn’t part of the preventive measures recommended by medical experts to help reduce the spread of the virus, the tone seems to be changing again as this is said to play a big role in preventing asymptomatic carriers from spreading the disease as well as discouraging people from touching their faces as well as a reminder for social distancing.

Meanwhile you might not know how to DIY your own fabric masks which means you might only have your scarf or maybe a bandana with you. The answer to if this will work as a preventive measure is is Yes even though there are few caveats. So let’s examine each below one after the other.

If the fabric is thick, then it will make a better face mask

According to medical experts, the thicker the face clothing materials used in making those scarfs, the better face masks they will make. According to a medical expert, Dr. Shan Soe-Lin, PhD who has a collection of fabric masks which she swaps as well as a large thick shawl, she made it known that “If you have a choice between a scarf and a bandana you should use a scarf,” she says.

Then, you should wrap it around your face a couple of times, and tie it around your chin so it stays in place and doesn’t fall off.

“The thicker the better,” Dr. Soe-Lin says. “There’s a lot of discussion now about what kind of homemade masks are best and whether bandanas, for instance, are really protective. I would say for bandanas, you should double them up if you can, because they’re so thin.”

If you decide to cut up an old t-shirt and use it to make a face covering, you should also be sure there are two layers of fabric.

Some DIY face mask do not cover Mouth and Nose

When making out your own DIY fabric face mask, ensure that it does cover your nose and mouth at the same time because these are the parts of the body you really want to protect from getting exposed to germs as well as being the gateway to spreading the disease.

According to Dr. Soe-Lin, she says the fabric must cover your nose and mouth leaving no gaps between your face and the fabric. Once you tie your scarf or bandana, it should stay tied tightly until you return home.

Another important thing to note is when you’re tying your garment for example, ensure you’re able to untie it without actually touching your face as well as keeping your hands are washed on the daily just as we’ve always been instructed.

If you ask whether the fabric face mask can prevent Coronavirus

Yes, it can prevent the spread and protect you from getting the virus but the most important thing to note is to adhere to the concept of social–distancing just as we’ve been advised by medical experts. Also, ensure you wash your hands regularly with each washing session taking up to 20 seconds. Also use hand santizers when you come in contact with anything and anyone before touching other personal stuffs such as your smartphone. We explained how to keep your smartphone disinfected without ruining it here.

“If you’re infected, especially if you’re asymptomatic, it actually will keep in a lot of large droplets from sneezes or coughs, and if you’re not infected, in addition to the social distancing and hand-washing, it will protect you from very large droplets,” Dr. Soe-Lin says.

On a societal scale, if everyone covers their faces, those who are infected will keep viral droplets in, and those who are not infected will keep viral droplets out.

“I think the great thing about masks is they’re the only intervention I can think of that’s completely equitable,” Dr. Soe-Lin says.

Meanwhile as for the medical face masks, they’re said to be reserved for medical healthcare workers as they’re the ones more exposed to the disease since they’re the ones attending to the needs of those battling the disease. And as of today, there are reported shortage of the supplies of surgical face masks “Anyone who’s not a frontline health worker should absolutely not be wearing an N95 or surgical mask,” Dr. Soe-Lin says.