Dahleen Glanton: Face Mask Confused Message | Associated Press

A friend recently called me and told me that a hardware store in downtown Chicago had N95 masks in stock. They sold two for $ 19.95.

I tried to persuade her not to rush to buy them. I sat on a high horse and quoted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, which stipulate that only people with symptoms of COVID-19 or those who care for sick people wear them. .

In addition, the mask was ridiculously expensive. Before the pandemic, the company sold three for $ 6.99 on its website.

“If you don’t need a mask, walking around wearing a mask is ridiculous,” I said in the most prestigious voice. “In fact, hardware stores need to donate these masks to hospitals facing the shortage.”

Before I finally hung up, there were reports that the CDC was considering revising the guidelines. Now, masking may be a good idea for everyone who has to go out.

Several weeks after the coronavirus crisis, some are still not exactly sure what to do or not to do. It is difficult to keep up with all the edicts from so many different sources, including cities, states, and the federal government.

The White House message on masks is particularly confusing. On the one hand, we hear stories of fear that nurses have to use masks more than once because they don’t have enough masks to follow normal protocols.

We are worried that frontline healthcare professionals do not have the necessary supplies to ensure safety. Every day there are new reports that nurses and doctors are exposed to the virus while caring for sick people.

Certainly, nobody wants our healthcare professionals to make it even more demanding. However, if the government says that it may save your life, it will be difficult to prevent people from stocking up masks.

The CDC, US Chief of Surgeon, and the World Health Organization have started on the same page as to whether the public should roam in a mask. For weeks, they urged only those who are sick or coughing to wear them.

On March 2, US surgeon director Jerome Adams tweeted this out.

“Seriously stop buying people-masks!”

“ While they are not effective in preventing the general public from catching #Coronavirus, if health care providers cannot let them care for sick patients, it jeopardizes them and our community. I will! “

While the WHO has recently repeated its stance, the White House and CDC have begun to reverse direction.

Adams, who appeared on Wednesday at Good Morning America, urged the Trump administration to reconsider the guidance on wearing masks, adding that earlier decisions were based on “ the best science of the time. ” .

“ We knew there was a considerable amount of asymptomatic spread, so let’s review again if more people can prevent transmission to other people by wearing a mask I asked the CDC, “Adams said.

He warned people not to stock N95. Leave it to a health professional.

So even if you find something miraculously available on Amazon, you won’t see yourself wearing it.

By the way, I checked and found that the N95 I saw was only available at hospitals and government agencies that support COVID-19. Disposable paper masks will be available late May or mid-June.

Donald Trump suggested that people might want to use a scarf to cover the mouth and nose in the meantime.

“Many people have scarves, and you can use a scarf,” Trump said Tuesday. “And my feeling is that if people want to do it, it certainly doesn’t hurt it.”

This is one of the few things he and I agree with somewhat.

It is far from me that someone blames what he thinks is necessary to prevent this deadly virus. If someone wants to put a bandana on your mouth while staying healthy while grocery shopping, try it.

Many people are busy today to give to friends or to donate to those who take risks to provide us with what they need, such as transportation drivers, courier and clerks You. They are not only functional, but also pretty stylish to launch.

However, the mask must not give a false sense of security that you can return to normal. As the weather warms, more and more people will want to go outside. General surgeons warned that masks were not a substitute for social distance.

On a recent warm day, strolling in the neighborhood, many people were walking and could not keep the specified 6 feet distance.

One day, a storm-coughing woman was walking behind me. I decided to get off the sidewalk and let her pass. Then she stopped in front of me and peeed on a utility pole.

I was uncomfortable and excited. I feel more stressed than if I were at home and doing elliptical exercise.

The coughing woman did not wear a mask, and neither did I. At that time I wanted us two to be. And she came home with a good understanding of why so many people did.

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About the artist

Dahleen Glanton is a columnist for the Chicago Tribune.

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