Jack Sherlock

Reporter

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a confusing and disorienting time form any of us. Following the first con-firmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. on Jan. 21, 2020, a series of lockdowns across the nation were put in place. What was initially planned to be a few weeks of being sealed inside our homes has now led us a year later to adapt our everyday life as we know it to work around the harsh conditions of this pandemic. Zoom calls for school, video chats for business meetings and even friendly gatherings via FaceTime have become the new social norm. On the flip side of social nature, service workers, essential businesses and others aiming to provide for the American people during this difficult time are facing confrontation on the frontlines brought on by those that struggle to adhere to the new norms, norms like mask-wearing and social distancing, for example. Service workers and essential businesses are struggling to re-main financially secure, on top of taking the considerable risk of COVID-19infection as dangerous acts of defiance are present with those apathetic to the severity of the pandemic. Among the shared feelings of vexation, and after reaching a milestone of over 500,000American deaths from COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending something that will help reduce the spread even more than we have al-ready — doubling up on mask-wearing. This recommendation also seeks to actively protect those that need to work daily with the American public and ultimately unite all of us through our efforts as we work towards the common goal of returning back to normalcy.

Earlier this month on Feb. 13, the CDC issued a statement titled “Improving How Your Mask Protects You”. Within this statement was a new recommendation to double up on the masks you wear. The idea behind wearing two masks as opposed to one is to reduce the respiratory droplets you let out when you exhale, and to prevent the inhalation of other people’s exhaled droplets. The do’s and don’ts of mask-wearing as of now include the prior recommendation of finding a mask with a nose wire, preventing air from traveling out the top of your mask. The CDC also recommends appropriate mask-wearing includes the mask fitting snugly over your nose, mouth, and chin, sealing in any exit or entry point for droplets. The guidelines for dual mask-wearing are as follows: put on one disposable mask first, snug around your face and cinched by a nose wire at the top of the mask, then place a fitted cloth mask over the disposable one. The idea is this second mask presses the edges of the inner mask against your face and creates a tougher barrier for droplets to travel in and out of. What not to do with mask-wearing is as follows: combine two disposable masks or wear more than one/any additional mask type with a KN95mask. Disposable masks are not designed to fit tightly and wearing more than one will not improve the fit. Additionally, you do not want to fit a KN95 mask with any other mask and only one KN95 mask should be worn at a time. These do’s and don’ts for mask wearing are also emphasized as critically important right now as it is predicted by the CDC that a vaccine will not be readily available to the general public in mass until late July, with that time being the earliest availability assuming the best possible outcomes in the months to come.

With the updated recommendations for extra protection from the CDC being shared across the nation with health officials, where do we stand here in Pocatello , or even more specifically here on cam-pus? Tracy Mcculloch, the Community Health Director with Southeastern Idaho Public Health (SIPH), provided information on what to expect in the near future with the City of Pocatello. “We follow the CDC guidelines and recommendations very closely,” says Mcculloch. While dual mask-wearing is new to the recommend-ed protocol for our citizenry, Mcculloch emphasized the importance of wearing a mask at all, saying “One mask is better than no mask. Studies show it is proven to reduce the spread [of COVID-19] and if we can get everyone to wear just one, we’ll be happy.” Logan McDougall, the Public Information Officer for the City of Pocatello, was also critical in deciphering what we should look out for in the coming weeks within our community. McDougall assured that the ordinance in place follows everything that SIPH recommends to them and that any changes in protocol would have to come directly from SIPH officials in order to be considered and re-viewed by the Pocatello City Council. On February 18th, a press release was sent out, outlining Pocatello City Council’s decision to vote against rescinding the City’s face covering ordinance. This secured the ordinance to remain in place up until March 4 as the city council plans to revisit the subject then. For more information about the ordinance and the regulations within the ordinance, visit the city’s website at pocatello.us.

Rex Force, Senior Vice Provost and Vice President for the Kasiska Division of Health Sciences was available to comment. “We need folks to realize that any face coverings are good, and in this case more face coverings are better. This virus is transmitted by droplet and aerosol spread, and anything we can do to de-crease the spread of those droplets and aerosols is going to be beneficial. That is why masks that fit tightly along with the recommendation by the CDC to wear two masks is good, because it increases the effectiveness of face covering” says Force. The use of thin, unconventional means of face covering was mentioned as well, with Force saying “we have seen before very sheer bandanas and neck gaiters being worn, and these are not very effective at stopping droplets. These may even be splicing big droplets into smaller, more transferable droplets. The way to go is a tight fit, double layered face covering per CDC guidelines to decrease transmission.” Force also discussed the pride he has in the Bengal community, as we are “doing very well and presumed to continue doing well with mask wearing on cam-pus.” Force’s final remarks included a message to what it means to be a Bengal. “Bengals treat Bengals well by looking out for one another” says Force, “and that is the mantra we want to encourage as we wear our masks and look out for each other during this difficult time.”

For more information on the CDC’s guidelines to COVID-19 protocol, please visit cdc.gov/coronavirus, and do your part by staying well-informed on current events, procedure, and announcements as the pandemic develops.