Pike County EHC Sewing Face Masks

Arkansas’ Extension Homemakers Clubs have a long history of organizing and taking action, especially during times of crisis. They ran soup kitchens during the flu epidemic of 1918, canned vegetables during the flood of 1927 and throughout the Great Depression, and planted victory gardens to increase food supply during World War II.

As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, EHC clubs found a new way to serve their communities: sewing cloth face masks that can offer some protection to those who have to be out in public.

The 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. CDC also advises the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others. Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure. It is clear that cloth masks are far less protective to the wearer than N-95 respirators, which are reserved for healthcare workers. Homemade cloth masks are more similar to surgical masks but still fall short. A few studies suggest that cloth masks may offer the wearer little protection.

Wearing a cloth or surgical mask WILL:
 Keep you from touching your nose and mouth, preventing the spread of germs from your hands. (Remember, not to touch your eyes either).
 Protect your nose and mouth from large infected respiratory droplets from other people’s coughs or sneezes.
 Help keep others safe by limiting the transfer of infected respiratory droplets from your coughs and sneezes onto surfaces that others may touch.

Wearing a cloth or surgical mask WILL NOT:
 Keep you from inhaling or spreading tiny infected aerosol particles that we all breathe out in the course of normal breathing.
 Allow you to disregard the 6-foot social distancing and stay-at-home guidelines
 Keep you from potentially getting exposed to virus particles.

Cloth face coverings should fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face, be secured with ties or ear loops, include multiple layers of fabric, allow for breathing without restriction, and be able to be laundered and machine dried without damage or change to shape. Cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.

The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators. Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first-responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance.

Face coverings should be washed routinely depending on the frequency of use. To safely sterilize/clean a cloth face mask, a washing machine should suffice in properly washing a face covering. When removing a used cloth face covering, individuals should be careful not to touch their eyes, nose and mouth when removing their face covering and wash hands immediately after removing.

To see the CDC’s mask guidelines and to see sew and no sew instructions to create masks, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html.

Pike County EHC has made 162 masks for local hospitals, nursing homes, fire departments and first responders. The volunteers have spent 53 hours making the masks. This is just part of the effort that has been contributed to the state so far.

To learn how to get involved with Extension Homemaker Clubs or ask about information to create face coverings, contact Pike County Cooperative Extension office at 870-285-2161, email hjackson@uaex.edu, or visit www.uaex.edu. To find COVID-19 resources, visit www.uaex.edu/COVID19.