Here at Kaleideum, in compliance with local laws, we require all of our staff and visitors to wear face coverings while in our facilities. Because we understand that sometimes masks can make us feel silly or uncomfortable, we are happy to explain a bit of the science behind why wearing a mask during the COVID-19 pandemic is so important.
Why Masks Work
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID-19 spreads mainly from person to person through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks. The droplets can then land in the mouths or noses of people nearby who can inhale them into their lungs. Research has found that these droplets usually travel around 6 feet.
Wearing a mask helps keep your germs away from other people. They can provide an extra layer to help prevent respiratory droplets from traveling in the air and onto other people. Each time you take a breath, thousands of tiny particles come out and into the air. By wearing a cloth face mask, you can keep these germs to yourself and help keep them out of other people’s faces.
While medical-grade masks such as the N-95 mask provide the best protection against the spread of COVID-19, these masks are hard to find and should be reserved for frontline health care workers. The homemade cotton masks protect wearers from spreading the virus to others. Research has shown that these masks reduce the exhaled aerosols from infectious, but asymptomatic, individuals.
The more people who wear a mask, the less likely the virus spreads.
How to Wear and Take Care of Your Mask
- When using a cloth face covering, make sure your mouth and nose are fully covered and the mask fits snugly against the side of the face so there are no gaps.
- Cloth face masks should be washed after each use. You can include them with your regular laundry. Use regular laundry detergent and the warmest appropriate water setting based on the fabric. When you dry the face mask, use the highest heat setting and leave in the dryer until completely dry.
- We encourage you to wear a mask with the thought in mind that you are protecting not only yourself but all of the people around you! While we do not know everything about COVID-19, we do know that people with no symptoms can walk around with the virus present in their body and unknowingly infect those around them.
Masks at Kaleideum
The best non-surgical masks are made of layers, with pleats and tightly woven cotton. These materials in a face mask are shown to prevent the spread of germs by 72 percent. We are selling cloth masks in our Kaleideum Gift Shop. In addition, we do have some paper masks available at the Welcome Desk if you forget to bring yours.
During this pandemic, it’s a good idea to get into the habit of carrying your mask with you and wearing it whenever you are in a public place or in close proximity to someone you do not live with. We hope that you will help us keep Kaleideum as happy and healthy an environment as it can be by wearing your mask and standing with us in the effort to limit the spread of COVID-19.