Public Health Madison & Dane County

Posted on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021 at 9:27 am

Vaccinators across the country are rapidly getting vaccines in arms, but until a much larger percent of the population is vaccinated, wearing a mask remains one of the most effective things we can do to protect ourselves and our loved ones. With new, more infectious variants of the virus emerging worldwide, it’s critical that your mask is of good quality and offers the most protection to you and others.

Now is a great time to do a mask check-in and be sure yours is meeting all of CDC’s recommendations.

The CDC recommends:

• Non-medical disposable masks
• Masks that fit properly (snugly around the nose and chin with no large gaps around the sides of the face)
• Masks made with breathable fabric (such as cotton)
• Masks made with tightly woven fabric (such as fabrics that do not let light pass through when held up to a light source)
• Masks with two or three layers
• Masks with inner filter pockets

CDC Does Not Recommend:

• Masks that do not fit properly (large gaps, too loose or too tight)
• Masks made from materials that are hard to breathe through (such as plastic or leather)
• Masks made from loosely woven fabric or are knitted, such as fabrics that let light through
• Masks with one layer
• Masks with exhalation valves or vents
• Wearing a scarf or ski mask as a mask

A lot of people have been talking about wearing two masks. CDC has not made any official recommendation about wearing two masks. The most important thing is to make sure your mask has at least two layers and fits properly.

Find this information and much more on CDC’s website.