Unmasking the Truth: Homemade Masks and COVID-19

 As information about N95 mask shortages continues to flood news outlets daily, people are beginning to create homemade masks in an attempt to protect themselves and frontline workers.

But one question remains, can homemade face masks protect us from COVID-19? Experts say the science is not certain.

On April 6, 2020, Dr. Theresa Tam, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, encouraged Canadians to wear homemade masks in instances where social distancing is hard to maintain. Tam continued saying, "our strongest message is that you must continue to do social distancing… that two-metre bubble, hand washing, and stay home if you are sick. All of those things are effective measures."

This message may have come as a surprise to Canadians as Tam has been reluctant to recommend homemade masks for public use, fearing that they may give people a false sense of security.

So why is Tam now encouraging homemade masks as a new form of precaution? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), recent studies have shown that a significant percentage of individuals with COVID-19 lack symptoms ("asymptomatic") and that even people who eventually develop symptoms (pre-symptomatic) can transmit the virus to others. This means the infection can spread between people in close proximity, even if those people are not exhibiting symptoms.

In light of this new evidence, CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.

Although experts believe homemade masks offer minimal, if any, reparatory protection to healthy individuals, they recognize there may be a benefit to wearing them to slow the spread of the disease during asymptomatic/pre-symptomatic periods.

Similarly, masks can help symptomatic people protect others around them. COVID-19 spreads mainly through respiratory droplets produced when a symptomatic person coughs or sneezes. Homemade masks may be able to catch some of those droplets.

Homemade masks should be used as a secondary step, in addition to measures such as coughing/sneezing into your sleeve, washing your hands for 20 seconds, social distancing, and staying home as much as possible.

Some things homemade masks may be able to assist with are discouraging people from touching their nose and mouth with unwashed hands while in public, and catching droplets from coughs or sneezes if an infected person is wearing it.

Healthy individuals should only wear masks if they are taking care of a person with a suspected COVID-19 infection; they are coughing or sneezing or are in a public place where social distancing is challenging to maintain. Masks are most effective when used in combination with frequent hand cleaning with alcohol-based hand sanitizers or soap and water.

In the workplace, the use of homemade masks does not substitute for an employer's responsibility to provide the appropriate level of respiratory protection to employees. Workers should learn the use and limitations of all personal protective equipment, and they should understand the limitations of homemade masks before wearing one.

If you have any questions about COVID-19, please contact our Occupational Health Department at (800) 463-4310, option #5, or via email at medicals@DriverCheck.ca.  

Kristen Gouveia

Marketing Coordinator 

My job as DC’s Marketing Coordinator is to show clients, partners, and the public that a healthier and safer world is possible.

With a background in Broadcast Journalism and passion for videography, I help create brand content that is educational, engaging, and provides value to our clients.

When I am not working, you can find me up in Northern Ontario with my Fiancé, snowshoeing, fishing, or playing with our border collie/blue heeler called Merlin.