On Franceinfo, the director of Afnor (French Association for Standardization) welcomed the success of the tutorial posted online to explain how to properly make a mask. The platform offers free downloadable files with patterns, recommendations on materials to use and information on how to properly wear and maintain your mask.
- WHO recommends wearing masks to prevent the spread of coronavirus
- Tutorials for making fabric masks are flourishing on the internet
While the WHO recently revised its stance on cloth masks for the general public, stating that “I’ idea of using masks covering the airways or mouth to prevent coughing or sniffling from projecting disease into the environment and to others (…) is not bad in itself”, more and more French people got into the business. According to Olivier Peyrat, Director General of Afnor (French Association for Standardization), the tutorial set up to explain how to properly make a mask at the end of March has already been “downloaded 300,000 times”.
“We can speak of great success”welcomes Olivier Peyrat to France info Thursday, April 9. “To do this, we took inspiration from best practices, we took inspiration from tutorials on the Internet and with 150 experts we sought to do better”. In detail, the platform set up by Anfor offers “free downloadable files with patterns, recommendations on materials that want to be as accessible as possible”, he explains. The platform is also full of information on things to avoid, such as the seam in the middle of the mask for example, and recommendations on how to wash a mask.
Washing should take place after each use, at 60 degrees, cotton setting, and for at least thirty minutes. “The masks must be dried completely, even over-dried” less than two hours after washing, specifies Afnor on its site. Thus, it is better to use a clothes dryer. Regarding, the fabric “a filtration criterion and a breathability criterion are needed. If it is too filtering you risk not being able to breathe. If it is very breathable, it may be less efficient for filtration”, explains Olivier Peyrat.
Create masks for merchants, delivery people, garbage collectors
In addition to people who want to make a mask for themselves, the director of Anfor says he has “identified a very strong demand for solidarity” of people who “want to help locally and we have applicants such as traders, delivery people, garbage collectors”. This is why the initial use of the Anfor platform has been diverted to put it at the “service of this surge of solidarity”. “Barrier-masks.afnor.org was launched yesterday and we already have hundreds of subscribers”, he congratulates himself.
If you want to make yourself a fabric mask in the standards, you can also refer to the manual carried out by the Grenoble University Hospital for its staff, or even to the recommendations of the American health authorities. On his site, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)gives very detailed instructions on how to make a mask.
Remember that to be effective, the mask must be used correctly: it must be worn on bare skin, without hair or beard and cover the nose and mouth well. In order to avoid any risk of contamination, it is necessary to wash your hands before and after handling the mask. Its face should never be touched: you will have to grab it by the rubber bands. Once installed on the face, do not touch it again. Finally, wearing a fabric mask in no way dispenses with the barrier measures currently in force such as physical distancing and regular hand washing.
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