When it was announced that we would be going back to in-person school in August, I was skeptical as to whether or not it would work to say the least. I was wrong for the most part, but there are still some issues at LHS related to mask wearing that could use improving.

• Mask Wearing Tip #1–You have to cover your nose AND mouth.

Mask positioning is incredibly important because it determines the way that air flows in and out of the mask and whether or not the mask works at all. This, of course, includes putting the mask over your nose and securing it under your chin with it snug to the sides of your face. Failure to cover either the nose or mouth just sends respiratory droplets out into the air for everyone else to breathe.

•  Mask Wearing Tip #2-Moving your mask.

It is important that we don’t pull our masks down to speak to people or to cough/sneeze, because that makes wearing the mask useless.  The particles that are coming out of the mouth and nose need to stay contained in our masks.  This only works if it is worn correctly.  Different types of masks fit differently on differently shaped faces, so finding out what size of mask or style of mask you need to work for you is important. 

• Mask Wearing Tip #3–Keeping those hands clean.

Students are constantly adjusting their masks.  This makes it very important to keep our hands clean so that we aren’t spreading the virus around by touching surfaces that other students may come in contact with.  In addition, if we do forget and touch our face with our hands, keeping hands clean and sanitized lessens our risk.

• Mask Wearing Tip #4–Choose the right mask.

Questions about whether or not certain types of masks work and where they fit on the spectrum of safety have been big social questions since the pandemic started and continue to be hotly debated. There are numerous studies and articles written, but the fact remains that the thinner the fabric, the greater the chance it won’t function properly.