Covetiquette: Wearing masks and gloves

KUOW has reached out to its audience, staff, and a few knowledgeable experts about common concerns, questions, and pet peeves that have emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In other words: How can we all practice good covetiquette? Because these days, it's not just about having good manners. It's about being safe and even saving lives.

This week: Masks and gloves.

Whether it’s a message coming from your favorite store or your local government, masks are now a thing. So let’s talk about pandemic attire – masks and even gloves.

Covetiquette: Children and social distancing

Whatever your desire, masks are part of the equation to get us all back to a sense of normal.

“It’s got to be a shared burden and a shared responsibility," said Dr. Paul Pottinger, a professor of infectious diseases with the University of Washington’s School of Medicine. "The masks are not fun. Nobody likes wearing them. And we should all be in this together.”

What's the deal with masks?

“The first reason is to protect the general public from us,” Dr. Pottinger said. “It is possible to spread this infection before symptoms even start. The infection spreads by droplets from our mouth, our nose, definitely when we cough or sneeze, but also when we shout, sing, or laugh. Maybe even when we talk. That’s why covering our face protects others.”

The second reason is that a mask does offer some protection against the virus. There is debate over how much it protects, but something is better than nothing. If as many people possible wear some type of face covering, we are all better protected – and ultimately, you are better protected.

Sub-question: How do I wash/sanitize my mask? How often?

“Think of it like a pair of underwear,” Dr. Pottinger said. “Most people wear their underwear once a day and throw it in the hamper. I think that’s true for face masks. Generally speaking, we should make sure things are washed or set aside every day. Can you do it more often than that? Yes.”

Covetiquette: Who gets to pass while walking on the street?

And now, I know how often I should wash my underwear (finally). Also, if you need a reminder of this rule, you can always make a mask like this guy did.

“If I’m walking outside in my neighborhood and there’s no one on the block ahead or the block behind, can I safely lower my mask until I see someone approaching?”

“I think it’s much more difficult to catch Covid outdoors than indoors – there’s just more space outside, more flow of air," Dr. Pottinger said. "But even if you are outside, if you are within 6 feet of somebody, you are still at risk. So do you have to wear a face covering outdoors? Yes, if you are within 6 feet of somebody from a different household. Do you have to wear a face covering outside if you will be alone or well beyond 6 feet of somebody else? No, that is not a requirement."

An important point: Once the mask is on, leave it on. You don’t want to be frequently touching your mask. Once it’s on, leave it.

“If there is a small amount of virus on our hands or our fingers, we may accidentally bring that virus to our mouth, our nose, or our eyes and that is how you catch this infection,” Dr. Pottinger said.

Final note: People do not necessarily need medical grade masks (N95, PM2.5, etc.). A cloth mask is OK. Dr. Pottinger said that if you raise the mask material up to the light and can easily see through it, then you need a thicker material or should fold it over a few times.

Gloves: Should I be wearing them? Do they help? Like, wearing them whenever I go to the store.

I’m just going to say – gloves or no gloves, stop throwing them on the ground outside the grocery store. Seriously, there are trash cans right over there.

“Gloves are not required to prevent the spread of Covid-19,” Dr. Pottinger said.

“My concern with gloves are that if someone is wearing them they still may touch their face, eyes, mouth and nose. You don’t catch it through your skin," he said. "If your hands are clean, meaning you use a standard alcohol rub or soap and water … if we combine that with a face covering and we are not touching our face, there is really no reason to use gloves.”

And did I mention the thing about people throwing them on the ground? Stop that!

Be sure to subscribe to KUOW on YouTube and leave a comment with your covetiquette observations and questions. We may use your comments in a future episode. And read about this topic and all KUOW’s Covid-19 reporting on KUOW.org.