A quick document on what you need to know about face masks in response to the COVID-19 pandemic - how to use and maintain them, ways of preparing a mask at home, steps & precautions, and a little more useful information revolving around masks.

1. Mask Keeping
Knowledge
 Shivam
 Akansha Choudhary
 N Sarmista
 Tanya Raj
 Abhishek Kumar

2. Personal Protective Equipment
(PPE)
▪ "PPE", is equipment worn to minimize
exposure to a variety of hazards.
▪ PPE also referred to as “equipment
designed to protect the wearer's body
from injury or infection”.
▪ The hazards may be from physical,
electrical, heat, chemicals, biohazards, and
airborne particulate matter
▪ Examples of PPE: Masks, gloves, ear plugs,
helmets, goggles, full body suits and etc. 2

3. Classification of a face mask
▪ Based on the function
– Comfort mask
– Surgical face mask
– Surgical Respirators
– Particulate respirators
▪ Based on usage
– Disposable
– Reusable
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4. Surgical Mask
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▪ A surgical mask is a loose-fitting, disposable
device that create a physical barrier between
the mouth/nose of the wearer and potential
contaminants in the immediate environment.
▪ It also prevent patients from direct transmission
of infectious agents from health care
professionals or the surgical area.
▪ Surgical masks are not PPE as defined under the
European Directive 89/686.

5. How are Surgical Masks made
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Surgical face masks are made with non-woven fabric, which has better bacteria
filtration and air permeability while remaining less slippery than woven cloth. The
material most commonly used to make them is polypropylene, either 20 or 25
grams per square meter (gsm) in density. Masks can also be made of polystyrene,
polycarbonate, polyethylene, or polyester.
20 gsm mask material is made in a spunbond process, which involves extruding
the melted plastic onto a conveyor. The material is extruded in a web, in which
strands bond with each other as they cool. 25 gsm fabric is made through
meltblown technology, which is a similar process where plastic is extruded
through a die with hundreds of small nozzles and blown by hot air to become tiny
fibers, again cooling and binding on a conveyor. These fibers are less than a
micron in diameter.

6. How are Surgical Masks made
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Surgical masks are made up of a multi-layered structure, generally by covering a
layer of textile with non-woven bonded fabric on both sides. Non-wovens, which
are cheaper to make and cleaner thanks to their disposable nature, are made with
three or four layers. These disposable masks are often made with two filter layers
effective at filtering out particles such as bacteria above 1 micron. The filtration
level of a mask, however, depends on the fiber, the way it’s manufactured, the
web’s structure, and the fiber’s cross-sectional shape. Masks are made on a
machine line that assembles the nonwovens from bobbins, ultrasonically welds the
layers together, and stamps the masks with nose strips, ear loops, and other
pieces.
Completed masks are then sterilized before being sent out of the factory.

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Size of Particles

8. Why Face Masks Are Crucial Now in the Battle Against
COVID-19
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▪ As confirmed cases of COVID-19 continue to rise, the CDC is
recommending that everyone wear a cloth mask when they go out in
public.
▪ Experts say the homemade masks can help prevent the spread of the
disease by those with the virus.
▪ Experts also recommend that everyone continue social distancing and
other preventive measures in addition to wearing face coverings.

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How to put on, use, take off and dispose a mask
Before putting on a mask,
clean hands with alcohol-based
hand rub or soap and water.

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How to put on, use, take off and dispose a mask
Cover mouth and nose with
mask and make sure there are
no gaps between your face and
the mask.

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How to put on, use, take off and dispose a mask
Avoid touching the mask while
using it; if you do, clean your
hands with alcohol-based hand
rub or soap and water.

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How to put on, use, take off and dispose a mask
Replace the mask with a new
one as soon as it is damp and
do not re-use single-use
masks.

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How to put on, use, take off and dispose a mask
To remove the mask: remove
it from behind (do not touch
the front of mask); discard
immediately in a closed bin;
clean hands with alcohol-based
hand rub or soap and water.

14. Persons with symptoms should:
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 Wear a medical mask, self-isolate, and seek medical advice as soon as
they start to feel unwell. Symptoms can include fever, fatigue, cough, sore
throat, and difficulty
 Breathing. It is important to note that early symptoms for some people
infected with COVID-19 may be very mild;
 Follow instructions on how to put on, take off, and dispose of medical
masks;
 Follow all additional preventive measures, in particular, hand hygiene and
maintaining physical distance from other persons.

15. When and how to use a medical mask to protect against
corona virus
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▪ If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of
a person with COVID-19.
▪ Wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing.
▪ Masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent hand-
cleaning with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
▪ If you wear a mask, then you must know how to use it and dispose of it
properly.

16. Sewn cloth face covering
How to make a mask at home
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17. Materials
▪ Two 10”x6” rectangles of cotton fabric
▪ Two 6” pieces of elastic (or rubber bands,
string, cloth strips, or hair ties)
▪ Needle and thread (or bobby pin)
▪ Scissors
▪ Sewing machine

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Cut out two 10-by-6-inch rectangles
of cotton fabric. Use tightly woven
cotton, such as quilting fabric or
cotton sheets. T-shirt fabric will
work in a pinch. Stack the two
rectangles; you will sew the mask as
if it was a single piece of fabric.
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Fold over the long sides ¼ inch and
hem. Then fold the double layer of
fabric over ½ inch along the short
sides and stitch down.
2

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Run a 6-inch length of 1/8-inch wide
elastic through the wider hem on
each side of the mask. These will be
the ear loops. Use a large needle or
a bobby pin to thread it through. Tie
the ends tight.
Don’t have elastic? Use hair ties or
elastic head bands. If you only have
string, you can make the ties longer
and tie the mask behind your head.
3

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Gently pull on the elastic so that the
knots are tucked inside the hem.
Gather the sides of the mask on the
elastic and adjust so the mask fits
your face. Then securely stitch the
elastic in place to keep it from
slipping.
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22. Quick Cut T-shirt face
covering(No sew method)
How to make a mask at home
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23. Materials
▪ T-shirt
▪ Scissors

24. Bandana face covering(No
sew method)
How to make a mask at home
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25. Materials
▪ Bandana (or square cotton cloth
approximately 20”x20”)
▪ Rubber bands (or hair ties)
▪ Scissors (if you are cutting your own cloth)

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