If you need to leave your home, wear a cloth face covering or mask.
Cloth face coverings offer some protection and help people who may have COVID-19 and do not know it from spreading it to others when talking, sneezing, or coughing.
Face coverings are not a replacement for other measures of protection like hand washing and physical distancing. You should still wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and keep six feet between yourself and others.
Cloth face coverings should:
- Cover both your nose and mouth.
- Fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face.
- Be secured with ties or ear loops.
- Include multiple layers of fabric.
- Allow for breathing without restriction.
- Be able to be washed with hot water in a washing machine.
The CDC has instructions for two kinds of cloth face coverings – one you can sew and one you can make without sewing.