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Around The Table: Expert Gives Advice For Wearing A Face Mask And Keeping It Clean

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - KDKA's Kristine Sorensen talks with Dr. Arvind Venkat, Allegheny Health Network emergency physical and past president of the Pennsylvania College of Emergency Medicine about masks. Here is their edited conversation.

Kristine Sorensen: Now that so many more people are recommended to wear masks and many people are going to be required to wear them in Pennsylvania, could you show me how to properly put a mask on and take it off so that we're not touching any kind of infection or virus?

Dr. Arvind Venkat: The most important thing with the mask is to have loops to go over the ears where you're not touching the outer surface of the mask, and as much as possible, not touching the inner surface of the mask. So, this is just a plain mask with two strings on it that allows me to put it around my ears, without touching my face. That's how I put it on and I never touch my nose or mouth.

The key to wearing a mask is that you want it to cover from the bridge of your nose to below your chin, so that it covers everywhere from which you breathe in and breathe out.

Then with taking off the mask, what you first want to do is wash your hands completely. Use the ear loops to take the mask off without touching the outer surface.

Then wash your hands again. And I would suggest that if you've been out, especially if you're using a cloth mask, wash the mask itself in the laundry or at least in the sink with soap and water in order to try and sterilize it as best you can.

Kristine Sorensen: Can you get coronavirus from the outside of a mask if you were to touch it and then touch your face?

Dr. Arvind Venkat: There are concerns for that -- that the virus may last on surfaces for some period of time, and that's why when I was putting on and taking off this mask, I did not touch the outside of the mask. That's often easier said than done, which is why it's important to wash your hands before and after you take off the mask and to the extent you can, wash the mask between uses.

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