Governor Mike Dunleavy and Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer, have clarified some confusion about whether or not cloth masks provide sufficient coverage to secure the safety of Alaskans in-public.
The confusion came on the heels of the Governor’s Reopen Alaska Responsibly Plan which mandates that face coverings be worn in many locations, such as retail establishments by employees. Some Alaskans took the gravity of the recommendation in the mandate to mean that N-95 or surgical masks are recommended.
Dr. Zink says, however, that mass usage of simple cloth masks is effective against microdroplets moving from one face to another: “There’s no one way to protect absolutely everyone from COVID-19 or really any other disease. We know that being in a completely separate room is better than an N-95 which is better than a surgical mask which is better than a cloth face covering, but we also know that a fabric face covering is better than nothing. So, we use this to try to figure out, ‘OK, how much services are there, how much exposure and risk is there?’ Again, we believe that a fabric face covering is better than nothing. The mask and the reason we’re asking people to wear a fabric face covering is less to protect you and more so you protect others from the microdroplets. So, we’re just trying to minimize that microdroplet.”
Governor Dunleavy added that there is always going to be a more-effective method of protecting oneself from COVID-19, but that as Alaskans, we must be reasonable about how we protect ourselves and others: “You could wear an astronaut outfit which would protect you even better than a surgical mask in terms of projecting the virus, and you could wear a cloth mask which wouldn’t be as good as a surgical mask, but it still helps as a barrier. So, what we’re trying to do is be as reasonable as possible as we move through this. We’ve gotta build confidence across the state that as we go through this process, it’s going to work for everybody. We’re going to have people infected, and nothing is perfect, but again, we think we’ve got an approach that’s going to work and we’ve gotta get the economy up and running while protecting our people.”
Meaghan Murphy, editor of Women’s Day magazine, says that cloth masks can be re-used and cleaned as necessary: “On cloth surfaces, the virus can live up to seven days. You can just throw a mask in the wash and then run it through the dryer on high-heat.”
She also reminds folks to ignore the rumors about microwaving or baking masks to properly sanitize them, as soap and water are just fine: “That is a potential fire hazard and we don’t recommend it.”
Dr. Jerome Adams, U.S. Surgeon General provides simple instructions on making your own masks in the following video: