The Centers For Disease Control has recommended people wear cloth face coverings in public settings where social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, such as grocery stores and pharmacies.
The CDC recommends using a simple cloth face covering to slow the spread of coronavirus. Oneida County Health Officer Linda Conlon says the public can help....
"We are asking for hand-sewn face masks. Really what we're trying to do is protect the other people from becoming infected. The more people that wear a face mask, the better it will be..."
Conlon says if two people are near each other and each has on a face mask, the chance of exposure is much less. She says cloth masks are not as good as surgical or N95 masks but with medical personnel needing those masks, the cloth masks are a step up from no mask at all.
She says if you double up cotton material and put a layer of flannel inside, it increases the resistance to water droplets that are airborne...
"A good test is if you can spray some aerosolized liquid through the cloth and you can see it come through it's not working as well and you'll want to use more layers..."
Conlon says the CDC has put out a video on how to make a homemade mask. We have a link to the CDC at here.
The Oneida County Health Department is working with community partners to coordinate the donation and distribution of homemade masks to populations in the community.
