McLaren Bay Region offers tips for effectively using a face mask

If you’ve decided to wear a homemade, cloth face covering in public as the State of Michigan and U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are now recommending, here are some tips from McLaren Bay Region:

• The mask should fit snugly and comfortably against your face.
• Secure the mask with ties or ear loops.
• Include multiple layers of fabric in your mask. 
• Make sure it covers both your nose and mouth.
• Make it from materials that can be washed and machine dried at home without damage or the mask losing its shape.
• Avoid touching your face or the mask.
• Do not move the mask away from your face to talk.

Remember that the masks do not replace other recommended social distancing measures. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Stay Home executive order is still in effect. Only leave your home for outdoor exercise or essential activities, such as grocery shopping or picking up medicine. When you must leave your home, doctors and public health experts still recommend remaining at least 6 feet away from other people.

The masks are in addition to the other already-recommended precautions.

Magen Samyn, McLaren Bay Region’s vice president of marketing and business development, said the hospital is accepting donations of homemade masks. The hospital offers them to employees to use outside work to keep themselves, their families, and the community safer.

“We need to keep everybody safe,” Samyn said. “We’re grateful for the donations.

Inside the hospital, employees wear disposable face masks that offer maximum protection when they are encountering people who have COVID-19 and they cannot offer care from 6 feet away.

Community members can drop off donations at the McLaren Bay Region marketing building at 503 Mulholland St. between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays. Visit McLaren’s website for an up-to-date list of what’s being accepted.