Ministry of Health releases manual for making homemade masks

Since the beginning of pandemic of new coronavirus, people have gone in search of protective masks, which caused many of them to be missing from the shelves.

In view of the scarcity of material, the recommendation of the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), in the technical note GVIMS/GGTES/ANVISA No. 04/2020, was that the use of the mask surgery was performed only by patients with symptoms of respiratory infection, health and support professionals who provide assistance less than one meter from the suspected patient or case confirmed.

However, the Minister of Health, Luiz Henrique Mandetta, started to recommend the use of cloth masks for other groups of the population, being a kind of physical barrier against the contagion of Covid-19. Last Thursday, April 2nd, the Ministry's website launched a manual on how to make masks at home.

“Cloth masks for community use work really well and are not expensive to make. Because, now, it's fighting with the weapons we have. There is no point in complaining that China is not producing. We are going to have to create our weapons, and they will be the ones we have”, highlighted Mandetta.

Easy and practical to make, homemade masks are becoming popular all over the world and anyone can make them with the materials they have at home. The Brazilian Ministry of Health will also launch a digital campaign to mobilize the population to manufacture their own cloth masks.

“You can make a ‘barrier’ mask using thick, double-sided fabric. No technical specifications needed. It makes as good a barrier as the other masks. The difference is that it has to be washed by the individual himself so that self-care can be maintained. If it gets wet, it has to be changed. You can wash it with soap or bleach, leaving it to soak for about 20 minutes,” said the Minister of Health.

Specifications

The manual presents some specifications, which must be followed, aiming at the effectiveness of the equipment:

• Have at least two layers of cloth (double-sided);
• Being individual, that is, it cannot be shared with anyone;
• Be made with cotton fabric materials, tricoline, TNT or other fabrics (all designed and sanitized correctly);
• Made in the correct size, completely covering the mouth and nose, and being well adjusted to the face, without leaving spaces on the sides;
• Be well sanitized.

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