How to make or buy a covid-19 face mask that actually works

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How to make or buy a COVID-19 face mask that actually works

All that glitters is not virus-proof.

Rachel Feltman

April 7, 2020

There are sew and no-sew options for making your own cloth face mask. Or you can buy one, as long as it has a few key features.Kelly Sikkema/Unsplash

Although cloth masks provide only minimal protection against the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommend that everyone use them when leaving the house. The hope is that this low-risk, relatively easy intervention can make a dent in the spread of COVID-19 by people with no symptoms or extremely mild ones.

But masks aren’t exactly easy to come by: Medical-grade ones are already in short supply for healthcare workers who need them, so healthy people shouldn’t even try to purchase them. And in the wake of the CDC’s new recommendations, even non-medical cloth masks are sold out or backordered in many online stores. If you’re trying to figure out if and how you should cover your face on your next essential trip out of the house—for a walk on an uncrowded street or to buy necessary groceries, for instance—here’s a guide to all your options.