Video: UAB Expert Explains How To Safely Wear A Coronavirus Mask

From the University of Alabama at Birmingham:

April 29, 2020

By Adam Pope

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As more states, including Alabama, prepare to gradually reopen businesses, people may be required or encouraged to wear masks while in public to help slow the spread of novel coronavirus.

In the video above, Rachael Lee, M.D., with the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Division of Infectious Diseases, explains how to wear a face mask safely.

• Make sure that you perform hand hygiene either with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer or by washing your hands with soap and water.
• If your mask has straps, tie the top straps first, then the bottom. Once tied, do not touch it again. If you feel it slipping, be sure to sanitize your hands before adjusting your mask.
• Be sure your mask covers your nose and your mouth. Do not wear it below your nose.
• Before you take your mask off, perform hand hygiene again. Remember which side was on the outside. Then you’ll want to carefully fold it to protect the side facing your mouth and nose. Then you can put it into a paper bag for storage until you need it again.
• If you are using a cloth mask, be sure to wash it once a day.

For more information, visit uab.edu/coronavirus.

This press release was produced by the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The views expressed here are the author’s own.