Why shall I wash my mask but not my clothes?
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we citizens are asked to wear masks in Germany. Early reports said that wearing a mask may not help to protect myself from other infected people, but it protects others from me (who might be infected). New reports say that the mask might actually also protect myself. After going outside with my mask, I am supposed to not touch the outside of the mask when taking it down, because it might contain the virus on the outside - since I might have been in an area with the virus flying around and I would not want to contaminate my hands when touching the outside of the mask once I am back at home.
This makes sense so far. BUT... let's assume, while being outside, I walk into a cloud of droplets originating from the sneeze of an infected person and my mask is now full of virus at the outside. I would assume that my clothes, like my shirt, are also full of virus. So I would think that now I have to take off all clothes, put them into the washing machine at once and go straight into the shower without touching my face. Anything else does not seem to make sense to me. However, I have not read anything like that anywhere. Am I missing something?
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There are a lot of inconsistencies in what we are being told.
One is that masks don't protect you, and make it more likely that you will get infected because they irritate your face, and you'll be constantly touching the mask risking transfer from the mask to your mouth or eyes.
People in some regions (eg, Thailand, China, and Japan) opted for makeshift alternatives or repeated usage of disposable surgical masks. Notably, improper use of face masks, such as not changing disposable masks, could jeopardise the protective effect and even increase the risk of infection.
But SARS-CoV-2 is a respiratory pathogen, so if the virus is covering your mask, it's certainly better than breathing it in.
And if the virus is on your mask, it's even more likely to be on your shoes and other clothing as it's primarily droplet spread and droplets fall by gravity so the highest concentration of virus increases towards the ground.
And medical workers with full PPE include gowns, and shoe covers. If worn correctly, PPE when removed should not leave any virus on one's clothing worn inside the PPE.
So the degree of protective measures you take depends on your risk. If you live in a region of high community transmission, then you should be looking at disinfecting the soles of your shoes, and changing footwear when you enter your house, as well as removing any outer protective clothing such as a raincoat. Ultimately your best protection from infection by fomites is handwashing before eating.
If you're a medical worker that doesn't change out of full PPE at your hospital then recommendations from the AAFP recommend
When you arrive home
If you were unable to change clothes before leaving work, change in an isolated location (e.g., garage, mudroom, laundry room).
Do not wear shoes from work into your home. Clean them, top and bottom, with disinfecting wipes.
Wash clothes worn at work using your usual laundry detergent.
Wash or safely discard dirty clothes bag.
Wash hands after handling dirty clothes and shoes.
Shower before interacting with your family.
You may choose to isolate, if possible, from your family to limit their potential for exposure:
Rational use of face masks in the COVID-19 pandemic www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(20)30134-X/fulltext https://www.health.state.mn.us/facilities/patientsafety/infectioncontrol/ppe/comp/index.html www.aafp.org/journals/fpm/blogs/inpractice/entry/covid19_home.html
TLDR: a mask protect the public from you. It is not sufficient to protect your from the public others. Do not think that wearing a mask provides protection from high risk areas behaviors. Avoid Avoid Avoid infection opportunities.
Surgeons wear a mask (covering nose / mouth) in the operating room to prevent the spread of pathogens from the Surgeon's mouth / nose to the patient's surgical site.
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