Mask Wars

Under Construction 10:40 AM 5/13/2020 -RMF

I think the use of PPE by the general American public will lead to a national infection disaster with increased morbidity thereof. I am hardly alone in my worry about this. I don't think most of the American general public is capable of mastering infection protocols for PPE (e.g. masks and gloves). I doubt that many will take the time to do so even if they can procure the appropriate PPE to help stop Covid-19. Most Americans will use PPE (masks and gloves) without care or thought to infection control and even those who would like to use PPE with infection control will need training and practice their communities probably won't provide for them. But if you are going to use cloth masks or gloves anyway, below the break are some possible links for PPE training. Your county, state, local hospital or  medical university may have specific instructions for your locality. Search and question them as needed. Keep in mind this is a subject of much debate and often reissued guidance since the CDC issued what are essentially novel guidelines on the use of PPE  (e.g. cloth masks) by the general American populace. Links may change or update.

We all mindlessly and uncritically do whatever the hell we want these days in America: Angry gun owners bring AR-15s to capitol steps to demonstrate for their rights and freedom. Hapless 'virtue signalers' fetishize their low efficiency homemade masks like their minds have been psy-oped. Please try to remember that a mask or gloves used to prevent infection *are simply inanimate tools*. They don't confer any virtue upon you, especially if you use your contaminated PPE to transmit infections to others. If you use PPE improperly and without careful infection protocols, you will kill many more people than the gun owners with AR-15s currently demonstrating without any PPE on our state capitol steps.

[WHO]

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/when-and-how-to-use-masks

[CDC]

https://www.cdc.gov/hai/pdfs/ppe/PPE-Sequence.pdf
https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/pdf/strive/PPE101-508.pdf
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ppe-strategy/face-masks.html

[OSHA]

https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/respiratoryprotection/
https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA4015.pdf

[Cleveland Clinic]

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/heres-how-wearing-a-cloth-mask-helps-fight-the-spread-of-coronavirus/
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/unsure-about-actually-wearing-a-face-mask-heres-how-and-why-to-do-it/
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-you-shouldnt-wear-gloves-to-the-grocery-store/

[Nebraska Medicine]

https://www.nebraskamed.com/sites/default/files/documents/covid-19/surgical-mask-policy-and-faq-nebraska-med.pdf
https://www.nebraskamed.com/sites/default/files/documents/covid-19/COVID-Extended-Use-Reuse-of-PPE-and-N95.pdf?date03212020

[Various]

https://www.sfcdcp.org/communicable-disease/healthy-habits/how-to-put-on-and-remove-a-face-mask/
http://www.apic.org/Resource_/TinyMceFileManager/consumers_professionals/APIC_DosDontsofMasks_hiq.pdf
https://www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/use_mask_properly.pdf
https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/hcp/masksalt.pdf
https://healthcare.utah.edu/healthfeed/postings/2020/04/face-masks.php

[EU]

http://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/COVID-19-use-face-masks-community.pdf

[British links on PPE use]

https://www.hse.gov.uk/toolbox/ppe.htm
https://www.hse.gov.uk/news/face-mask-ppe-rpe-coronavirus.htm
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-infection-prevention-and-control/covid-19-personal-protective-equipment-ppe
https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/primary-care/infection-control/