The Dos and Don’ts of COVID-19 Face Masks for Your Department
One of the top ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is to maintain social distancing. However, for emergency services and departments serving the general public, it can be difficult to stay up to six feet apart from your coworkers and members of the public. Fortunately, public health experts agree that wearing a face covering is one of the best possible ways to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19. To help protect your department and the people you’re serving, here’s what you need to know about the dos and don’ts of wearing face coverings.
DO: Wear Your Mask Properly
When you’re wearing your face covering, it’s essential that you’re wearing your face mask correctly or it won’t be effective. The face covering ought to cover both your nose and mouth. Your nose should never be poking out from the top, and the mask should never be down to your chin.
Wash your hands before you put your mask on and avoid touching your mask once it’s on. If you need to adjust your mask, make sure to touch the straps and not the cloth. When the time comes to take your mask off, remove it by the straps and not the cloth.
DON’T: Remove Your Mask to Identify Yourself
When you work in a public service position, you may need to identify yourself or your department to other people. However, removing your face covering could put you, the person you’re speaking to, and the rest of your department at risk. Keep your face covered with your face mask and instead use your identification card and badge to identify yourself.
The Emblem Authority offers face masks with custom patches sewn in so you don’t have to worry about not being able to identify yourself to others. What’s more, your custom police patches and fire department patches sewn onto your department’s face masks can also serve as a preventative measure for security. Because your custom patch is on the face mask, you don’t need to worry about someone impersonating a police officer or firefighter in your department while using a face covering as a disguise.
DO: Wash Your Mask Daily
Just like you wash the rest of your department’s uniforms every day, it’s important to wash your face masks every day. Wash your hands immediately after you remove your face mask even when you’re touching the straps. Consider keeping your department’s used face masks in a separate, sealed container until the time comes to wash them later in the day.
Once the face masks have been sufficiently washed and dried, store them in a clean, dry container. When you’re wearing a face mask from The Emblem Authority, you don’t need to worry about the water damaging your custom badge. Just wash the face mask with gentle detergent on gentle cycle only with cool water.
Face coverings are an essential part of your department’s new uniform. They’re important for keeping yourself, your coworkers, and the public safe. However, that doesn’t mean you need to worry about face masks clashing with the rest of your department’s uniform. The Emblem Authority’s face masks with custom department badges are exactly what you need. For more information on face masks with custom badges, contact The Emblem Authority today.
