MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Mid-South health officials are urging the public to wear masks properly to protect themselves from the coronavirus.
Dr. Jeff Warren, a physician, is a city councilman, and part of the Memphis and Shelby County COVID-19 Task Force. He’s been an outspoken advocate for wearing masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He demonstrated how simple it is to make out of almost any piece of cloth.
“You fold it again. OK, and then you just take two rubber bands and sort of wrap the rubber bands around it,” Warren said.
But, it does little good if not worn properly.
“Having it like right here and here isn’t going to work for you,” Warren said.
He also addressed a problem if you’re not wearing a cloth mask.
“Key thing is, sometimes if you wear glasses, they will fog on you,” Warren said. “Most of the masks have little metal things if you can squeeze them down your nose, so when you’re breathing it kinda comes out the side and not the top.”
Warren says it’s good people are wearing masks in public, but, as the health department has reported, much of the spread happens at work.
“But we also want our grocery store workers to cover their face and people who are working, preparing our foods in the kitchens that we are taking out, we want them to protect themselves from each other too,” Warren said.
The more masks worn, the more effective cutting COVID-19 will be.
“I think Memphis should be very proud. I think we’ve done a good job at the initial step of social distancing,” Warren said. “The place that we could get better is covering our face. If we do this for two to four weeks really, really diligently, our rates can drop and then the government can start thinking about how do we get back to work.”
Warren also says when it comes to wearing gloves, you have to be careful with cross contamination and wash the gloves like you wash your hands.
Also, when you wear your mask in public, it’s important to disinfect it once you’re home.
