If How I Met Your Mother was filmed during the coronavirus pandemic, Barry’s call to action would be: “Mask up, Ted!” And that’s our call to action now.
As our favorite haunts reopen after more than a two-month hiatus, we are dependent on one another for our safety more than ever. Face masks are a way of also protecting others from our favorite new phrase: respiratory droplets.
“To mask or not to mask?” is no longer the question.
Following the lead of hotspots like New York City and L.A., Minneapolis was the first Minny city to jump on the mandatory-masks bandwagon, requiring them at all indoor public spaces beginning May 26. St. Paul followed suit a week later, requiring face masks indoors for businesses and city facilities beginning June 1.
Though Minnesota has yet to instate face mask requirements as broadly as its two largest cities have, Gov. Walz did issue requirements for certain businesses and services in tandem with his phased reopening plan. As businesses open again, workers are all expected to wear masks and, in some cases, even face shields. Your hair stylist, your waiter, your spin class instructor—all will be masked and ready for business per Walz’s regulations. Customers are expected to mask as well, and though there’s no real punishment for non-maskers, being turned away from your first haircut in three months is incentive enough.
Common Masking Mistakes
Six months ago, we were jump-starting New Year’s resolutions to go to the gym more and spend less money at Caribou. We didn’t know how to put on a face mask or how much PPE healthcare workers went through in a day. “Respiratory droplets” weren’t part of our daily vocab. Corona was just a beer (we’ll hold all judgement on said beer). But here we are. The need to mask can’t be ignored.
Because this is a new practice, there are a few common mistakes people make when masking up. “One seen in the newspaper daily is an individual wearing the mask over their mouth but not their nose,” says Mark Sennes, MD, senior medical director at HealthPartners. “This will not prevent transmission of respiratory droplets that spread COVID-19, and the person is not protected.” It seems obvious, but make sure the mask fits snug over your mouth and nose.
Masks aren’t the cure-all for social interaction without a vaccine. “Wearing a mask does not allow a person to stop washing their hands, which we know can contribute to spread of the virus as well,” Dr. Senne says.
Wash Your Face (Mask)
After each time you wear a mask, scrub-a-dub that baby either by hand or in the laundry. Mayo Clinic, the CDC, and the Minnesota Department of Health recommend washing your mask after every wear. Every wear?
There are a few alternatives. We’ve all seen the sun-cleanse tactic on our feeds, but does it work? “The virus that causes COVID-19, probably doesn’t survive on surfaces beyond 72 hours,” says Dr. Senne. “So, leaving a mask in a paper bag that is open to the air for more than 72 hours without using it is likely an adequate way to make sure any virus on the outside is no longer infectious toward yourself or others.” Going out again before your 72 hours is up? Soap and water will cleanse the mask right away. And don’t forget to wash your hands before you put your mask on and after you take it off.
Washing and drying a mask also takes time—if you’re really in a pinch, Dr. Senne recommends buying a few reusable masks if you’re able. “Keeping one in your car, another in your office or place of employment, and one that you can wear around allows for having a back-up readily available should someone cough or sneeze directly on you, or if the mask becomes soiled.”
Where to Buy Face Masks Locally
Sewing machines are still speeding along to produce face masks for Twin Citians. Designers started their efforts in March, and now local boutiques and larger stores have stepped in on the action too. Read on for a few places across the Twin Cities to find a face mask.
*Note: Due to high demand in the Twin Cities area, face masks may be temporarily out of stock at these retailers.
- Urban Acres Creative, an accessory studio in Ham Lake, is cranking out face masks in addition to their regular lineup of bags and hats. For $10, buy one or participate in the buy-one-give-one initiative that donates a mask to a local hospital.
- Local garden store Bachman’s has face masks at checkout for $6.99 at all of its Twin Cities locations, so you can throw a few in your cart with those begonias.
- Target has stepped up to the plate with adult masks in various colors for $4 and gray $5 masks, plus kids’ mask two-packs for $4.
- Golden Valley-based online shop Fairy Finery offers face masks for adults and kids in a plethora of fun colors and patterns for $12 each. Ten percent of mask sales goes to Second Harvest Heartland.
- Vendors at Minneapolis’ Textile Center are stitching for safety. Julie Stellar shifted gears from upcycled wools sweater goods to masks ($17) early on in pandemic closures. Teaching artist and clothing and costume producer Kathleen Richert designed her masks ($17) with a loop and tie back. Spinner, knitter, weaver, writer, sewer, Lara Neel has flat face masks for $17–$20 and has donated more than 100 of her masks to various organizations.
- Just in time for summer, Indigo & Snow has bamboo fabric masks available for pre-order ($32). The bamboo fabric is a natural temperature regular—cold when you’re hot, warm when you’re cold—and the hand-dyed abstract designs are unique to each mask. Masks are made-to-order and ship in 14 days. Indigo & Snow has a cotton design with purple straps in an ode to Prince, using sweatshirts donated from First Avenue.
- Camo, blue, floral, abstract dot pattern? Patina’s got it in their array of face masks and face gaiters, most under $10—and you can pick them up in-store because all Patina locations are now open.
- The Minneapolis beanie company that’s been keeping our heads warm since 2012 is now keeping us safe too with its new collection of face masks ($10–$25). For every mask bought, Love Your Melon will donate one to the medical community (that goes for the American flag pom beanies in the collection too).
- Besides offering Up North gear, Sota Clothing Co. will restock its face masks on June 15. A portion of the $12 goes to Still Kickin, a Minneapolis-based biz providing economic relief to great people going through tough stuff.
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June 11, 2020 at 05:01AM
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Wearing and Caring for Your Face Mask (Plus, Local Stores Selling Them) - Mpls.St.Paul Magazine
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