CDC now recommends everyone wear masks in public

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (TNN) - To help slow the spread of the Coronavirus the CDC now recommends everyone wear a face mask to help flatten the curve.

Helping to make that happen people in the community turning on their sewing machines and making homemade masks. Jean Hall started making them after seeing the need in the community and at clinics.

“I know how to sew, and I have a closet full of fabric that was waiting for me to do projects with, so I have a new project,” Hall said.

Requests for more keep coming in.

“Suddenly all my friends are saying can you make me one, can you make my child one, could you make my husband one and so I’ve just, my list is growing faster than I can sew,” Hall said.

She’s made over 150 so far and another batch is in the works. These simple masks are exactly what people need, and not masks meant for doctors and nurses, like one’s rated N95.

“All you need in the average population is something to cover your face,” Lee Ackley, a physician assistant at Community Healthcare Center, said. “You can be completely asymptomatic and be spreading the virus all over town.”

Homemade masks can be made from fabric, bandanas, scarves, and t-shirts. The CDC’s recommended ways of making your own mask can be found here.

“You need to have multiple masks so that you can change them out frequently and wash them every single time you wear them out,” Hall said.

While it’s not yet a requirement, wearing them is strongly recommended by those in the medical field.

“So many people are afraid they are going to look funny in public wearing a mask, but you know what, you look a lot more funny in ICU with a vent on,” Ackley said.

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