The COVID-19 virus spreads primarily through contact and respiratory droplets. That is why wearing a face mask while in public has become so important over the past few months.
Of course, this begs the question, what should we do with our face masks while eating in public spaces?
Photo via Facebook (Setapak 讲饮讲食 吹水站)
On Tuesday, 13th October 2020, a horrified netizen took to Facebook to share his shock over seeing another patron at a mamak restaurant storing his face mask inside a cutlery holder.
Face masks by their very function is often covered by our respiratory droplets. Placing the face masks in the cutlery holder creates a perfect contamination point for the COVID-19 virus.
According to Amanda Castel, professor of epidemiology at the George Washington University Milken Institute of Public Health, these are the best steps to store your face masks while in public:
Clean your hands before removing your face mask.
Remove your face mask by the ear loops. Avoid touching the inside (the side that comes into contact with your face) of your mask.
Fold the face mask with the inside edges towards each other.
Place your face mask in a paper bag, ziploc plastic bag or a clean face mask holder.
It is of utmost importance for all of us to play our part in reducing the transmission of COVID-19 for our community. This includes not just wearing our face masks but also taking care of where we store it while in public.
Stay safe everyone.
By: Catalina Hubbard
