Whilst face masks and social distancing have been recommended since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, starting on the 24th of July they became mandatory in shops and other public spaces. With a lot of disposable masks and gloves becoming an environmental issue early on, it is possible to attenuate this issue by crafting your own comfortable mask, recycling old materials available at home. Coventry’s Fab Lab put together an intuitive and creative tutorial for making personalised masks. We strongly endorse social distancing and, when possible, self-isolation, as ways to prevent the spread of the virus, as masks are not a replacement for any prevention measure. It is very important to know how to wear a mask, when and how to clean it, in order for it to be effective – the World Health Organisation has instructions for this. With a lot of people still depending on public transport for their daily commuting, masks are essential to avoid spreading the virus and its effects, especially among vulnerable groups.
The link to the tutorial can be found here.
