Stephen DOIG
When you were idly contemplating your plans for summer 2020, did you ever think you’d be weighing up how your face mask might steam up your sunglasses? But here we are; I for one am debating whether the expensive trip to Amalfi is worth it if half the views will be obscured through a sunglasses fug of my own breath.
We’re ( just about) accustomed to face masks now, but a heatwave and summer abroad present other challenges. I’m no mask refusenik, believing we should put on and shut up, but one thing they are not is pleasant, particularly if you have to wear one for hours on a flight, as I recently did.
So while none of us are fans, hotter weather – like the Saharan plume we are to experience today – presents its own problems.
First, consider the material. A lot of masks – particularly the disposable ones – are synthetic, which isn’t aerating in hot weather. Steer towards natural fabrics instead, eg cottons – healthline.com states that a double layer of quilting cotton helps to stop transmission.
As with your clothes, opt for lighter colours that don’t absorb the sunlight. Don’t be tempted to go down the swashbuckling pirate look that Johnny
Depp’s been sporting during his recent libel case as it offers little protection.
As for the issue of how to prevent glasses steaming up, advice is varied, from a mask with wiring over the nose that moulds to your face to those with a built-in “nose bridge”, or placing a tissue inside the top of your mask to absorb the moisture. Is it ideal? No, but such is life in our Covid world. At least the sun is shining.