Many still not heeding call to use face masks

While Tulare County Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Haught recommended that essentially everyone in public places wear face masks, many can still be seen without face coverings.

A typical seen at various places in Porterville such as grocery stores shows many people wearing face masks, but still many people, including employees, not wearing face coverings.

On May 8, Haught released new guidelines when it comes to the wearing of face masks. The guidelines are in line with recommedations from the Centers for Disease Control and the California Department of Public Health.

It’s recommended the public wear face coverings in three settings: While inside of or waiting in line to enter essential businesses and other businesses or facilities, including grocery stores; while providing essential government functions and when seeking health care from health care facilities; and when waiting for or riding on public transportation or other shared transportation.

The guidelines also call for employees at all essential businesses, including grocery stores, and those who operate public transportation to wear face coverings. The guidelines also state workers engaged in minimum basic operations, including construction, and providing essential government functions where the public is likely to be, are recommended to wear a face covering.

Essential businesses, such as grocery stores, have also been asked to post signage informing the public the use of face coverings is required.

Masks or face coverings can be homemade, store-bought, a bandana or cloth.

Children 2 years and young shouldn’t wear a face mask.

One key transmission method for the COVID-19 virus is respiratory droplets that people expel when they breathe or sneeze. Individuals have been found to be infected with COVID-19 and not have any symptoms, meaning they are asymptomatic, but they can still be contagious.

People can also be infected and contagious 48 hours before developing symptoms, the time when they are pre-symptomatic.

Many people with the COVID-19 virus have mild symptoms and don’t recognize they are infected and contagious, and they can unintentionally infect others.

Therefore, the CDC, CDPH, and TCPH believe wearing a face covering may reduce the risk of transmitting coronavirus when in public and engaged in essential activities by reducing the spread of respiratory droplets.

The full guidance is available at www.tchhsa. org/ncov.