When to wash or throw away a mask - and why?
Picture from Wikimedia. Public domain You are supposed to wear the mask blue side out, white side in. The white side is absorbent, so if you cough, the droplets are absorbed. You won't want to keep wearing a mask full of coughing or sneezing. That is why the flimsy mask which would disintegrate if washed is disposable. (Some masks say up to 30 washes. Others say up to 4 hours of wear.) That could mean 30 days. Or if you only go out or meet people once a month, for five minutes, it would last all year. Regulations are different in different venues and different countries. Some people think you can get away with not wearing a mask all evening if you are sitting in a restaurant or on public transport such as a plane so long as you have a glass of drink nearby. However, other places are stricter and have signs or instructions saying that you can remove your mask only when actually eating to put food into your mouth. I can see the point of this. A family member was sitting next ...