Well…
I know we have many crafty members here
Lots of discussion and or debate on " should one wear a mask "
To each their own
She’s crafty, she’s gets around
She’s crafty, she’s always down
She’s crafty, she’s got a gripe
She’s crafty, and she’s just my type
She’s crafty
Oops I digress😳
Thought I would start this so others can share their Crafts, ideas, options, and or DIY’s…
Feel free To post articles or links as well
Let’s " Sew" some seeds of love 
Be safe!!
Far as I know masks don’t protect you from the virus, they protect others from your droplets. So if you are a carrier, you don’t pass it on.
I think we should all wear them to further thwart the virus.
Hospital staff wear masks to protect themselves from the virus. The protection depends on the quality of the masks and the care with which they are used. The message that they aren’t helpful for self protection was a lie issued by our authorities hoping to lessen public demand for masks making it a bit easier for hospitals to meet their needs for this essential part of their staff’s protection. Personally I think it is better to tell the truth and suggest to the public they make do with lesser masks but leave the better ones for the health care workers me must protect to keep the death rates down.
The reason that a mask wasn’t recommend was because they are in short supply. Common sense tells you any kind of barrier is better than nothing.
The hospitals should be using properly fitted masks which is why bearded doctors are being told to shave.
The old-fashioned muslin face masks or the modern fibre equivalent become moist with breath and provide a place for the virus to land and wait for its opportunity to infect the wearer.
However, we should all do what we feel is the most sensible for our own peace of mind because until hind sight can be applied no-one has all the answers.
This is about it, I’m not a doc or a medical professional but after years of doing a lot of Gov’t contract work and working in a handful of labs with a LOT of shady infectious disease stuff what I did learn from all that mandatory training was that these N95 masks people are wearing are doing a whole lot of NOTHING for the people. Like friggen NOTHING! We had to watch a ton of training vids and even got some pretty cool live demo’s on how air/mist/germs spread in a room or area from a cough/sneeze or near no wind or even bldg HVAC circulating air and without PROPER masks that have been fitted to the individual, GOGGLES and in many cases suits you’re just playing mind games to think a mask is helping. COULD one help if a possibly infected person coughed and it grabbed enough as you were just walking away… maybe but so slim to none unless it’s a really one off thing as a whole it’s just not gonna work.
I’m not going insane over it. I try to limit my people exposure to when I need to be out and that’s all you can really do.
I will 2nd that.
Coming from a work force of restoration and disaster mitigation, I learned the same thing. It ain’t going to help much other than maybe peace of mind for those that don’t know. The feeling of trying to help is always a value.
I think they are a false sense of security. If I need to go into a room with someone that is positive for the virus maybe I would wear one or if I had it maybe to protect someone providing some sort of care. I think the primary infection sight is the eyes. Whether it is airborne or on a surface one touch to your eye and your done. You would probably fare better with goggles because it would keep you from touching your eyes.
I think rushing out and buying masks for protection is a bit like rushing out and buying guns. When matched to the threat and used with sufficient skill they provide some degree of protection. But lack of respect for their limitations and inappropriate use lead some into deeper trouble.
Last I heard (not from news, but from doctors at Universities and other places my company has contacts with [we make software for Med schools and such]), it was actually recommended the general public should NOT wear masks, as it INCREASES risks. They said if they get a bunch of people in their office or ward with COVID-19 (which was likely enough with their particular field) they might wear a mask because of the particular amount of close, frequent, contact and such, but the general public should not. Part of their explination: 1) it’s not considered airborne, more than 3 feet away you aren’t at risk, but your main risk is actually touching surfaces with the virus and then touching your face, 2) To go with that last part, masks cause people to touch their face more frequently, thus it increases their risk.
Aside from that, there’s even more doubts about the use of cloth, rather than N95 masks. There’s really NOT a whole lot of information on any of it, but what little there is is… well mostly this one study: https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/bmjopen/5/4/e006577.full.pdf
That one study isn’t huge, has some problems, and the control isn’t the best. It’s also for people in medical settings (hospitals, I think) rather than the general public. That said, as far as I’ve heard, it’s mostly all we have right now. The conclusion was that cloth masks are either ineffective or a net negative (they cause people to get viruses more often, by a slight amount). Some analysis has wondered at least whether the N95 are really showing a significant positive either.
But, again, it’s not the best study, even though they were trying to do a good job. There are just a lot of limitations for gathering the data and performing experiments, and they didn’t track every vector possible thoroughly (or at least didn’t report them).
Now, does it help prevent the spread of the virus if you have it? Honestly, who even knows? Are you still touching things, considering that is the main way the virus spreads (as far as we know at the moment)? Honestly, seems the best thing you can do is stay away from people as much as possible/stay home, and it’s unclear if a mask will help, harm, or do nothing.
The official stance has changed on wearing masks over this past week when some data showed that about 25% of People testing Positive Did not display Any symptoms, and that aerosolized transmission is possible (choir which now has 2 deaths and 40 infected). Most every major media outlet has had the story. Note that people are being encouraged to make Homemade masks, even wear a scarf, NOT buy any medical grade masks Needed by healthcare. Other groups are making masks To be used by healthcare workers using hepa filters, etc.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/should-you-wear-a-homemade-mask-in-public (Videos at end of this article on how to make the different masks from various materials)
This just in…
A good summary of mask patterns for anyone who can sew and a simple pleated cloth mask for those who can’t. I took cotton cloth tea towels and ironed the pleats in place so I have a stack to be used if going out and easily washed after one use. https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2020/4/1/21203241/coronavirus-diy-face-mask-homemade-tutorials
Take a break from Netflix Perhaps if interested
Family Craft time 
Back by Science below
#showmethescience
It is interesting that here in the US where the president says to follow CDC guidelines but he won’t be doing it. Apparently he knows they don’t really work either.
I’ve also never seen any other country’s leaders wearing a mask.
Just seems a little contradictory, do as I say and not as I do.
???
huge difference between a regular cloth mask for the pubic and the kinds used in a hospital.
basically these ones are to stop us from spreading those droplets- and if somebody else is- to protect us that way from inhaling theirs. I wouldn’t buy a mask- I would wrap scarf or shawl around my mouth and nose.It would do the same thing.
New article this morning with more tips how to use cloth masks safely (don’t touch front, wash after each use, still maintain social distance, etc.). The pattern from John Hopkins, one of the early leaders in this recommendation, is linked within. https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/04/03/826996154/coronavirus-faqs-is-a-homemade-mask-effective-and-whats-the-best-way-to-wear-one?
I’ve been reading a lot about masks lately and one thing I’m learning is that they don’t protect you from the corona virus (even the surgical grade ones); they do however prevent you from spreading it to others.
Simply talking to somebody within a certain distance (face to face distance) you are sharing aerosol of your saliva not just droplets from a cough or a sneeze which can get on you (eyes, face, mouth, nose) also or on objects.
My idea for making a cloth face mask (I’m a seamstress; love to sew) would be to embed it with a copper scrub ball or fine mesh pad which would protect you from this virus if my theory is correct[2]? Will be working on a proto-type!
You would also want to soak the material your using in table salt[3] when finished sewing it!
This one is pure copper mesh:
Example:
References:
[1] “…Those copper ions blast through the outer membranes and destroy the whole cell, including the DNA or RNA inside. Because their DNA and RNA are destroyed…” …More
[2] Copper kills coronavirus. Why aren’t our surfaces covered in it?
[3] “…A biomedical engineer created a mask coated in salt that he says could neutralize viruses like the coronavirus in 5 minutes…” …More
[4] A Novel Anti-Influenza Copper Oxide Containing Respiratory Face Mask: “…Protective respiratory face masks protect the nose and mouth of the wearer from vapor drops carrying viruses or other infectious pathogens. However, incorrect use and disposal may actually increase the risk of pathogen transmission, rather than reduce it, especially when masks are used by non-professionals such as the lay public. Copper oxide displays potent antiviral properties. A platform technology has been developed that permanently introduces copper oxide into polymeric materials, conferring them with potent biocidal properties. …”
