Coping during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Turn self-consciousness into self-confidence
Dear Collegiate Sisters,
I know when a woman is truly strong because she is comfortable asking for help. The sisters of Eta Eta at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology showed their strength by asking the Alpha Xi Chapter Alumnae Association for help with face masks for their chapter. They wanted masks that would be special to them and identify them as a group on campus. The alumnae were quick to pitch in in a way that took advantage of resources on hand. One sister donated a rather large stash of Laura Ashley designer fabric, and others donated their sewing skills. We want our collegiate sisters to be as safe as possible as they return to school and engage in recruitment this fall. As we speak, the masks are on their way to South Dakota! My goal with this blog post is to discuss the proper way to wear a mask as well as wash hands. Many of our healthcare professional alumnae are well versed in these things. For them, the process now feels automatic and like common sense. They had to learn it somewhere, and now share their pearls of wisdom with you.
HOW TO WEAR A MASK:
Wash your hands before putting on your mask
Put it over your nose and mouth and secure it under your chin. Please don't let it fall off the end of your nose.
Try to fit it snugly against the sides of your face
Make sure you can breathe easily
CDC does not recommend the use of masks or cloth masks for source control if they have an exhalation valve or vent
Don’t put the mask around your neck or up on your forehead
Don’t touch the mask, and, if you do, wash your hands or use hand sanitizer to disinfect
To avoid fogging glasses, the mask must be pressed tightly onto the skin under the eyes, but worn loosely under the chin to redirect the flow of exhaled air
Use a fresh cloth mask after each use.
HOW TO REMOVE THE MASK
Untie the strings behind your head or stretch the ear loops
Handle only by the ear loops or ties
Fold outside corners together with the inside on the inside of the fold. Treat the outside like it has cooties, because...it does.
Place masks in a bag used for delicates to keep them separate from your regular laundry until laundry day. Keep a used mask bag in your vehicle, do not hang it from your rearview mirror.
Be careful not to touch your eyes, nose, and mouth when removing and wash hands immediately after removing.
HOW TO WASH THE MASK
Wash with your regular laundry. Keep them in the same delicates bag you saved them in. Warm or hot water is best.
Regular laundry detergent is fine. Keep in mind that color-safe bleach does NOT sanitize.
Your masks from Alpha Xi are 100% cotton. Even though putting them through the dryer is fine, the elastic will last longer if you dry them in a warm, sunny location.
Washing masks by hand is less reliable and requires a bleach solution. Follow the CDC guidelines.
PROPER HAND WASHING:
You've heard it many times, "Wash your hands!" There is a bit of science behind the best way to wash hands. You may say, "What about wearing gloves?" The CDC doesn't recommend wearing gloves unless you are working in health care, cleaning the house, or taking care of a sick person. Gloves can give you a false sense of security. When you touch one surface and then another, without changing gloves or washing hands, there is cross-contamination. We encourage you to sing a favorite ADPi song while washing hands to assure sufficient time is given to the task. We also recommend minimizing hand jewelry. If you must wear a precious ring, keep a nail brush handy and pay particular attention to scrubbing its nooks and crannies.
Stay safe my dear sisters. Social distancing in addition to wearing a mask and handwashing is important to keeping you and the people you love safe. Each one of you is important to our sisterhood.
Loyally,
Ms. Pi
Here's the fine print: Please understand that our face masks are not a replacement for medical-grade Personal Protective Equipment, and in circumstances where medical-grade Personal Protective Equipment is recommended, you should consult a health care professional.
Please remember that the use of face masks is intended to use in conjunction with other recommended measures to stop the community spread of COVID-19, such as social distancing, wash your hands, and refrain from touching your face. Follow the latest advice of the CDC and your own health care professionals as to how best to keep yourself safe.
Pearls from Pi is a blog designed to help collegiate sisters traverse sticky ADPi and college-related situations. Any collegiate sister who is a member in good standing may submit questions regardless of the chapter of initiation. Submit your questions to Pi at https://goo.gl/forms/5CxYwsGHhJPzyjXr1
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