If you've had to leave home during this time of social distancing, you’ve quite possibly seen them on the faces of an increasing amount of people that have had to venture away from home themselves for essential reasons. Now a group of local volunteers wants to give all in the Brandon community the opportunity to own a non-medical grade homemade face mask.
A group consisting of Sue Palmer, Judy Bartel, Elaine Alvis, Brandi Palmer, Pam Stacy and Karlyn Rubeniuk have been hard at work creating cloth masks during their newly found downtime and are offering them at no charge to folks that submit requests via a Facebook group or email address that’s been setup.
Though not to be confused with the coveted, in-short-supply N95 medical-grade masks worn primarily by health care workers on the front lines of the battle against COVID-19, the addition of homemade fabric-based masks to one’s routine including grocery shopping gives local shoppers one more tool to support measures in place in the province to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Guidance from the Province of Manitoba on the “prepare and prevent” section of the province’s COVID-19 website guards against the risk of non-medical grade masks providing a false sense of security in cautioning that they have not been proven to protect the wearer. In stead they are seen as one way to protect those around you, with evidence pointing towards the COVID-19 virus potentially spreading by those not experiencing symptoms. In that way such masks are seen as tantamount to covering a cough or sneeze, reducing the chance of others coming into contact with your respiratory droplets.
The province advises Manitobans to where possible shop for groceries once per week and to have that shopping done by one household member. Messaging has been consistent since the beginning of the epidemic, repeating the expectation that residents stay home as much as possible and stressing on it's COVID-19 website that:
“The best way to protect yourself is to regularly clean your hands, practice good cough etiquette and practice social (physical) distancing, including self-isolating when you are sick or have been exposed to COVID-19.”
The local homemade masks created by the group make use of fabric and elastic. According to Rubeniuk, every effort is made to have masks made in a sterile environment however recipients are asked to wash prior to using out of an abundance of caution.
Mask requests can be submitted through the group’s Facebook page or e-mailing requestamask (--at--) gmail.com. Once requests are received and a mask is ready, a Brandon pickup location is provided.
Masks are provided at no charge subject to availability with donation of elastic, cotton and other material appreciated. The group is limiting availability to one per household, for the household’s primary shopper. Because availability will ultimately be determined by how many volunteers continue to come on board, the group is saying that no charge masks are intended for those without an easy way to otherwise acquire one.
Volunteer sewers continue to be sought in effort to help keep up with what’s expected to be increased demand. Those with the sewing ability to help out are able to get in touch through the same e-mail address or Facebook group.