The governor’s mask order says everyone should wear a face that covers any place where they can’t socially distance themselves. It applies to anyone in a county where there have been 20 or more confirmed cases of COVID.
We spoke to an infectious disease physician at Memorial Hermann about mask safety.
“It is very important to remember that the masks have two sides. The interior and the exterior, and you never want to cross contaminating one side with the other. In general, with disposable masks, the exterior is the one that has color, and the interior is the one with white. You should always keep in mind not to touch the interior after touching something else, “said Dr. Luis Ostrosky.
Dr. Ostrosky says that if you remove the mask, be sure to store it properly.
“When you remove the mask and you are going to put it somewhere, you should always put it upside down or in a container so that, again, it does not cross-contaminate,” said Dr. Ostrosky.
If you have a disposable mask, wear it only for one day.
Cloth masks work well, too, but you better wash them every day and pick one with layers.
“What we do recommend is that you wear three layer masks, three layers of cloth. The other important recommendation is that you do not use valve masks, the one with the small valve. They are actually very comfortable to breathe, but it defeats the purpose of the mask, which is to keep your secretions contained within, “Ostrosky said.
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