If you’re riding transit in any Canadian city, the public announcement system will tell you the next stop, it will ask you to stand clear of the closing doors — it might also tell you that wearing a mask is still strongly recommended.
While mask mandates throughout the country continue to withdraw, many people still choose to wear them as a personal choice.
With fall — and flu season and a potential new wave of COVID-19 — around the corner, many people might consider wearing PPE to feel more comfortable in various settings. Here are five reminders and tips to remember when masking up:
We’ve all worn masks over the last two years, but here are some cardinal rules to keep in mind:
Several options are now readily available: respirators, medical masks, cloth masks, face shields, bandanas, etc. Health Canada clarifies that while non-medical masks offer protection, the best choices are medical masks and respirators like N95s.
If your mask is dirty or damp, it’s time to swap it out with a clean one. Carry a small bag to store your dirty masks.
Face masks should be carefully folded, so the outer surface is held inward and against itself to reduce contact with the outer surface during storage. The folded mask can be stored between uses in a clean, sealable paper bag or breathable container.
Over and understocking, supply hoarding, expired products and labor-intensive manual restocking processes quickly drive-up operating expenses. By leveraging automated systems for inventory management, you have an opportunity to improve costs and simplify workflow. This could mean tracking and managing inventory to all care points within your system using a comprehensive platform powered by technology.
As for medical masks and respirators, The New York Times noted that experts say storing masks separately with enough time (five to seven days) for the virus to be inactive is safe. A writer in the Times suggests the following: “I have five masks on rotation and seven brown paper bags marked with the days of the week, lined up on my windowsill. I place my mask in the appropriately labelled bag between uses during the day and at the end of it.” 1
Medline is committed to providing all the tools and tips possible to have all the necessary information on preserving your PPE should you be waiting on your supplies. For more insights and practical advice on conservation strategies, skin health or how to extend the life of your linens, see Medline’s readiness resources on the COVID-19 Resource Center.