Tips on making a homemade mask during the COVID-19 pandemic

Homemade masks hung up, ready to go for going out during the coronavirus pandemic. | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — With the COVID-19 pandemic going on, the Centers for Disease Control recommends wearing some kind of face covering in places where it is hard to keep social distance. The use of face masks can also be crucial in stopping the spread of COVID-19 in people who may have it but do not know.

Sewing masks at Southern Utah University, Cedar City, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Southern Utah University, St. George News / Cedar City News

The CDC website says that these homemade masks need to be routinely washed depending on how frequently a person wears them. To wash these cloth masks, you can simply put them in the washing machine.

When removing the masks, people should be careful not to touch their eyes, nose and mouth. After removing the mask you should immediately wash your hands.

The CDC offers a step-by-step tutorial to help those who are looking to make a mask at home using their sewing machine. You can find the tutorial here.

There are also easy ways to make masks without the need for a sewing machine. You can use a t-shirt and cut it into a mask or you can use a bandana or cotton cloth and rubber bands or hair ties. These methods are also listed on the CDC website or you can watch a video on how to make a facemask with two rubber bands and a cloth here.

In Southern Utah groups have been helping out during the pandemic by making facemasks for others as well.

A group of 15 women come together to make face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ivins, Utah | Photo courtesy of Jennifer Burch, St. George News

Some departments at Southern Utah University helped out by making some face masks. Workers at the library proposed the idea and then the department of Theatre Arts and Dance donated elastic. All of the masks were made in the Library’s copy center and they were distributed across Cedar City.

Other members of the community in Cedar City also rallied together to sew 1,000 masks for service members stationed on the USS Ronald Reagan.

The Southern Utah Daughters of the American Revolution also made masks that were donated in an effort to conserve the limited number of medical masks for those that need them.

Lastly, a group of women in Ivins City formed a group that made masks for those at risk and also donated some of them to the local veterans home.

COVID-19 information resources

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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