FACE MASKS ARE URGENTLY NEEDED

In Short: 

Social distancing is not enough. We need masks, as effective as possible, as quickly as possible, without making anything worse.

This site presents the best information we can find on materials and construction, and aims to connect sewists and makers with those who need masks the most.

In Long: 

This site provides individuals with information so they can, in conjunction with medical advise from their own doctors, make informed decisions about if or how to make masks.

It’s complicated and fraught. 

There are no simple answers. 

There is not going to be one simple solution that works for all. 

This site may help to break it down for you, but it is not medical advice.  Use of this site means that you have accepted that the decisions, risks, and benefits are your own. 

This site also seeks to connect people who need masks with people who want to make masks. The the current response is chaotic. At worst, it could actually increase infections.  It is critical to take steps now to prevent that from happening.

People who feel helpless and scared are desperate to help, but their energies are not being channeled into productive and safe supply systems for their communities.

The safety of these cloth and improvised masks is difficult, somewhat unknown, and extremely nuanced.

The overall process must be guided by evidence and expertise, driven by hospital-specific requirements, and managed by skilled intermediaries who can bridge the gap between a generous public and the health professionals who can leverage the output.

In a crisis, what people need is a simple, clear message about what to do. From years of crisis response, we know that’s what works. But there is no such concise, easily-digestible messaging available for fighting COVID-19 with cloth masks. There is no one best design, no one best material. It is all a question of compromise and local need.

The only simple message is that sewists and makers MUST have guidance from the organization they are donating to.

In turn, that organization must be able to meaningfully articulate their need, and then efficiently manage the donations as they come in. Donations often become the second crisis. We have to try to prevent that from happening. We can’t afford to overwhelm the people standing by to save our lives through our own efforts to help.

We are looking for any and all partners on this, including IT help, financial help for the website hosting, etc., messaging, science, connections to hospitals, input and guidance from scientists, social psychologists, marketers… anyone who can help address these complex issues.

Contact: info@makeacovid19mask.com