Coronavirus tips: How to make a cloth face mask at home

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Web Desk
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A cloth face mask can be made by using a bandanna, an old t-shirt or even a hand towel. Photo: CDC video screenshot 

With the coronavirus pandemic showing no signs of slowing down and countries scrambling to get their hands on medical equipment, the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) in US has shared how anyone sitting at home can make a simple cloth face mask to protect themselves.

Of course, this doesn’t mean we need to hop on a shopping trip to buy some items. All you need to do is take a look around the house and find an old scarf, a bandanna, a hand towel or even an old t-shirt to make the face mask.

Take the t-shirt and fold it to the middle from the bottom, fold it to the middle from top, fold it again to the middle from the bottom and again from the top and then two rubber bands, one on one side and one on the other side.

Then you fold the other side to the middle and you have yourself a cloth face covering.

Earlier, the World Health Organisation had said there was no need to wear masks unless the person was sick or caring for coronavirus patients.

In a media briefing, the WHO emergencies programme executive director Dr Mike Ryan had said there was "no specific evidence to suggest that the wearing of masks by the mass population has any potential benefit".

"In fact, there's some evidence to suggest the opposite in the misuse of wearing a mask properly or fitting it properly," the director had said. "There also is the issue that we have a massive global shortage."