Dear Team,
We are not finished with the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus is still out there. People are still getting sick. People are still dying. To stay healthy we must continue to follow our safety precautions: wash your hands, maintain social distancing, don’t touch your face, and clean all of your work surfaces.
All StrasGlobal team members will be receiving a KN-95 mask today. These are highly effective masks, the Chinese equivalent of the US N-95 mask, and they stop 95% of particles larger than 0.3 microns. We were able to purchase a limited number of these masks to give you and are also donating some to the local hospitals in the areas where we have stores.
My suggestion is, as we are only able to distribute a limited number of masks, unless you are on the field team, you consider keeping your mask for use only in an emergency situation when you might have to go into a high risk COVID-19 area such as a hospital or when looking after someone who is infected.
A couple of reminders about KN-95 masks:
- These are respiratory face masks, meaning that they fit tightly around your nose and mouth and can protect you against the virus if you wear and use them correctly. You need to fit them correctly so they are tight to the face. These masks are thicker than a normal medical mask and give a higher level of protection. However, they need to be fitted properly, and they are not designed to be used for a long period of time. 30 minutes is an average time to wear them. Dispose of the mask when it gets wet or dirty.
- A typical respiratory face mask will last over 1 week. Various times are given for how long you can use a mask but generally speaking, they are less effective after 40 hours of use. The bottom line is that when the filters are getting too blocked up for you to breath properly then you need to dispose of the mask.
- There is information online about people trying out different ways to clean and reuse them – though I can’t vouch for any of them.
- Remember- these are very effective masks and, therefore, uncomfortable to wear and difficult to breath in so you can get a headache and become dehydrated if you wear them for a long time –especially if you don’t drink water while wearing them. Some users will have trouble breathing. You can’t wear a KN95 effectively if you have a beard or stubble
- Be careful to look after them and be aware of how you handle them when putting them on and taking them off so you don’t end up infecting your hands or your body.
Your health and safety is our first priority. We are in this together.
Stay well.
Roy
Roy Strasburger
President, StrasGlobal
Email: strangetimes@strasglobal.com