COVID-19:
ARTICLES OF INTEREST
Making Face Masks for Coast Guard Active Duty The Coast Guard has issued a policy effec ve immediately direc ng its members to wear face masks, “…to the extent prac cal as determined by unit COs/OICs, when onboard USCG assets, property, facility, installa on, or when conduc ng official USCG business in a public se ng where social distancing measures are not able to be maintained, all Coast Guard personnel are required to wear cloth face covering when they cannot appropriately social distance themselves from others by maintaining six feet of physical separa on.” Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, all personal protec ve equipment (PPE), including face masks, is in short supply. For this reason, “surgical masks should be worn as a last resort and only with command concurrence. N95 respirators shall not be used for this purpose.
To assist the Coast Guard in mee ng the demand for cloth face coverings, several District 7 Auxiliary members have volunteered to sew cloth face masks. Members wishing to par cipateshould follow the guidelines outlined in ALCOAST 124/20 https://www.uscgboating.org/multimedia/newsdetail.php?id=532 Making face masks is not tricky. Li le to no prior sewing experience is required. The best way to
learn is to search for “how-to” videos. Many are available on YouTube and other video pla orms. Try h ps://www.youtube. com/watch?v=FW1TCQDN4do to start, but search for and watch several videos. Just be sure to follow the guidelines for type of fabric (co on) and preferred colors (neuOne of many “how-to” videos available on sewing face masks tral).
“For ini al implecan be found at h ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW1TCQDN4do Per COMO Gary Barth, menta on, either “Once the masks are home-fabricated or made and ready for dona on, contact the Auxiliary personally procured non-medical cloth face coverSector Coordinator to arrange delivery to ings following Centers for Disease Control the ac ve duty. Members should not and Preven on guidance are accept. a empt to enter Coast Guard faciliable. Homemade and do-it-yourself “Once the masks are made es on their own. ...Please con nue “(DIY) cloth masks or personallyand ready for doto u lize the safeguards to prevent procured are the preferred op on nation, contact the spreading and contrac ng the for non-opera onal use.” Auxiliary Sector CoCOVID-19 virus. Thank you for all “Face coverings are approved for ordinator to arrange you do, especially during this cri wear in uniform. Cloth face coverdelivery to the accal me.” Ω ings of neutral solid coloring (e.g., tive duty” navy blue, black, gray or white) are preferred. However, other colors and pa erns are permi ed if they are workplace appropriate.” 14
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Issue Isssuee 1 20 2020 020 0
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