What should you do if your face mask gets wet? Here’s what health experts recommend
Face masks help to stop the spread of the coronavirus, but you may want to keep yours dry.
That’s because health experts warn against wearing face coverings while they’re wet.
“Masks need to be changed regularly and this is particularly important to understand in damp and wet weather,” said Tim Spector, a genetic epidemiology professor at King’s College London, The Times reported Tuesday.
Spector made the remarks after rain drenched parts of the United Kingdom and as health officials in that country warned the precipitation could make face coverings less effective, according to the newspaper.
So what do you do if your mask becomes wet?
It’s probably best to take it off and replace it with a new one, the World Health Organization said in guidance published in June.
In the United States, that recommendation extends to medical professionals treating COVID-19 patients. The Centers for Disease Control encourages them to throw away face masks that “become moist, damaged, visibly soiled, or difficult to breathe through.”
To avoid wearing a wet mask, the CDC recommends everyone dry reusable face masks well after washing them.
Also, health officials advise against wearing “masks while engaged in activities that may cause the mask to become wet, like when swimming at the beach or pool. A wet mask may make it difficult to breathe.”
During the coronavirus pandemic, health officials urge people to wear masks in public to help reduce the risk of spreading the disease. Droplets released when a sick person speaks, coughs or sneezes are believed to transmit the virus, according to the CDC.
This story was originally published October 7, 2020 at 3:48 PM with the headline "What should you do if your face mask gets wet? Here’s what health experts recommend."
