BY KAREN BOSSICK
Renata Beguin has considered a facemask part of her daily wear ever since she underwent a kidney transplant seven months ago.
When she was released from isolation and allowed to come back home to Ketchum, she took care to wear a facemask when she went out in public to places like The Argyros.
But, even with her facemask, it’s become scary for her to have to go to the supermarket or to the post office now because so many others are not wearing masks.
“I’m in two of the vulnerable groups—I’m older and I’ve had a transplant. My family sacrificed so much to receive this miracle of a transplant and now I feel like all of us are being endangered by delivery men and others not using masks or gloves,” she said. “Many experts, including Dr. George Gao of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, are urging everyone to wear a mask and gloves in public.”
Beguin feels so strongly about it that she put her seamstress Edith Garber to work sewing 50 cloth masks using leftover cloth from the sumptuous faux fur pillows and throws that she makes for Beguin’s company No Harm Done Design.
Beguin donated the first batch to The Advocates for their shelter and transitional housing tenants to use. They were such a hit that Garber is making 50 more for a shelter in Edwards, Colo., where Beguin’s business partner lives.
“The masks are not medical grade, but they help to avoid spreading virus if a person is unknowingly infected,” said Beguin. “In addition, experts now tell us that it is much better than nothing and most of all keeps our hands from touching the face. Of course, they should be washed when needed.”
Seamstresses and quilters throughout the Wood River Valley are rallying to stitch cotton facemasks as more and more health officials reverse course and suggest that people should wear facemasks when they go out in public.
The 5B Sewing Revolution, as 5Bee Quilters and other sewers are calling themselves, have gotten a boost from the Rotary Club of Hailey, which gave them $1,000 for supplies. A smoke shop in the valley donated 630 pipe cleaners.
The brightly colored facemasks using scraps of material quilters and sewers have on hand could qualify as fashion statements, in addition to being functional.
“As a public health worker, it seems to me that masks have a role,” said Barbara Knowles, who is building a team (those who would like to help can email Knowles at knowlesbarb@gmail.com). “We are trying to get a hundred done by the end of the week, which can be donated to the elderly at pharmacies and other places.”
Knowles has spent a few weeks researching mask patterns with the help of a retired ER doctor in her neighborhood, health care providers at hospitals and clinics, Providence 100 Million Masks Campaign and Kid Giddy.
She’s had local nurses test-driving nine different styles to see which they like best.
She’s also spoken with an organization in Seattle that is making physician-approved masks and has kits for sewers to work with.
For now, she’s settled on a pattern that’s the same size as a medical mask. It can be adjusted to a person’s nose with the help of pipe cleaners and twist ties.
Her seamstresses are washing their masks in hot water, soap and bleach and then ironing them to kill virus. Seers have been instructed to sanitize their workspace and hands, as well.
“The goal of this mask is to remind people not to touch their face. It will also prevent transmission of droplets going out. And, best of all, it destigmatizes mask wearing,” said Knowles. “If everyone’s wearing them, people won’t look at someone and think, ‘Oh, oh, they have the virus.’ ”
The Los Angeles mayor has recommended his city’s four million people wear masks. South Korea and Japan have distributed masks to their residents.The Chinese are wearing them as they begin venturing back out in public—in some cases, risking arrest if they don’t wear them.
Facemasks are also mandatory in some European countries.
Ketchum Mayor Neil Bradshaw says wearing a facemask in public is a good idea to keep others from being infected.
“What masks don’t do is make it safe to ignore our social distancing guidelines,” he said. “Facemasks are not a guarantee of safety. If you are wearing a handmade mask, buff or bandana, clean it and dry it regularly and wash your hands immediately after taking it off.”
The Wood River Valley Fire/EMS Incident Management team discussed facemask usage by the public at length during their daily briefing on Wednesday.
Josh Jensen, Public Health Preparedness manager with South Central Public Health District, offered that the Centers for Disease Control doesn’t recommend that people who are not sick wear a facemask to protect themselves from COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses. But it does say they should be worn by people who are sick to help protect others from getting infected.
In fact, the CDC is reconsidering whether all Americans should be wearing masks since so many individuals who show no symptoms are carrying the virus and infecting others. Some are pre-symptomatic; others, asymptomatic
In fact, it’s now believed that the virus spread so rapidly because people who didn’t have symptoms unwittingly spread the disease to others. Some also ignored the symptoms going out in public instead of self-isolating.
A study out of Singapore estimates that 10 percent of new infections may come from those who carry the virus but have not yet developed symptoms. And officials with the National Academy of Sciences say that coronavirus can be spread by talking and, perhaps, even breathing as it can be suspended in air, potentially infecting someone who walks by later.
The general public should not use surgical and N95 masks used by health care workers.
But DIY masks can potentially lower the risk of an infected wearing transmitting the virus to others, as it limits the amount of respiratory droplets emitted should a person sneeze, cough or even speaks.
Those who are coughing or sneezing should definitely wear a mask. And so should those taking care of a sick person.
FACEMASK GUIDELINES:
Don’t wear an N95 mask—save those for health care workers.
Don’t touch your face when putting it on or trying to adjust it.
Don’t think it excuses you from practicing social distancing—standing 6 feet away to protect yourself from droplets spewing out from someone who coughs or sneezes.
DID YOU KNOW?