MEDFORD, Ore. — Jackson County Public Health has recommended people wear cloth or DIY (do it yourself) masks to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Surgical or N-95 masks should be saved for healthcare workers but that doesn’t mean community members should be shamed for doing what they can to protect themselves.
Health Officer Dr. Jim Shames says he’s not sure if wearing an N-95 mask is better or worse to prevent spread of the disease.
He says a surgical mask needs to be fit-tested to work properly because there’s a lot of leakage off the side of the mask and they’re difficult to breathe in.
Dr. Shames says N-95 masks can clog up and not be effective; they’re also not washable the way cloth masks are.
“One of the reasons that we recommended people using cloth, homemade facial coverings is to sort of level the playing field so that you don’t have to wonder whether the person you’re interfacing with has some kind of illness or not,” he said.
Dr. Shames says if you have an excess of N-95 masks, it’s appropriate you pass them on to hospitals or EMS workers.
But if wearing one is your only resort, public shaming from others is never okay.
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