The CDC updated its guidance and has recommended that people make DIY cloth face coverings. This is the CDC guidance for cloth face coverings.

These are the CDC instructions for making a simple face covering.

On April 1, the NY Times had published instructions with a downloadable PDF on how to sew a face mask. The PDF is below.

NY Times instructions for how to sew a face mask April 1, 2020

On April 1, the Joint Commission gave hospitals guidance to allow the public to wear home made masks to hospitals, saying “The degree to which privately-owned masks and respirators will increase the protection of health care workers is uncertain, but the balance of evidence suggests that it is positive.”

For interpreters who are providing healthcare in person, the contingency strategies on the CDC page may apply:

Implement extended use of facemasks.

Extended use of facemasks is the practice of wearing the same facemask for repeated close contact encounters with several different patients, without removing the facemask between patient encounters.

  • The facemask should be removed and discarded if soiled, damaged, or hard to breathe through.
  • HCP must take care not to touch their facemask. If they touch or adjust their facemask they must immediately perform hand hygiene.
  • HCP should leave the patient care area if they need to remove the facemask.

Some of these practices in the Crisis strategies are also being followed:

Implement limited re-use of facemasks.

Limited re-use of facemasks is the practice of using the same facemask by one HCP for multiple encounters with different patients but removing it after each encounter. As it is unknown what the potential contribution of contact transmission is for SARS-CoV-2, care should be taken to ensure that HCP do not touch outer surfaces of the mask during care, and that mask removal and replacement be done in a careful and deliberate manner.

  • The facemask should be removed and discarded if soiled, damaged, or hard to breathe through.
  • Not all facemasks can be re-used.
    • Facemasks that fasten to the provider via ties may not be able to be undone without tearing and should be considered only for extended use, rather than re-use.
    • Facemasks with elastic ear hooks may be more suitable for re-use.
  • HCP should leave patient care area if they need to remove the facemask. Facemasks should be carefully folded so that the outer surface is held inward and against itself to reduce contact with the outer surface during storage. The folded mask can be stored between uses in a clean sealable paper bag or breathable container.

This information is taken from this CDC link.

Healthcare Professionals > Optimize PPE Supply > Face Masks.

Now… time to sew masks for neighborhood use, so I am safe enough to go do in-person interpreting when needed. In those settings, I expect to use the PPE the other professionals in the room are using, based on the guidance from the Oregon Health Authority.