Coronavirus masks: How would you like to address this topic?

Dear users, dear authors,
It seems that wearing masks—or, as a temporary or alternative measure, scarves or shawls pulled over the mouth and nose—will more or less become part of everyday life. Whether there will be a general mask mandate is not yet entirely clear. Politicians and scientists are still debating the issue.

But I think we should talk about it:
How would you like to handle this topic here in the forum? Would you like to share experiences here about sewing or making makeshift masks without viral protection using standard or readily available materials?
Are you already wearing (makeshift) face coverings? How do you feel about it?

I’ve been sewing masks for my family, friends, my husband, and myself for a week now. I wear a mask myself whenever I go out, because I have asthma and am therefore in a high-risk group. According to Professor Streeck, these homemade masks are better than their reputation suggests—above all, they protect the person around me if I have to cough or sneeze. There are plenty of sewing tutorials online for making masks, and I’d sew them rather than crochet or knit them—BECAUSE these masks don’t block anything due to the gaps that result from those techniques; no one can crochet or knit that tightly. Most importantly, if they’re made of cotton, these masks can be washed at 60° or higher, making them reusable. You should never wear a mask like this for more than a day—often just a few hours—then change it and wash it. I’ve sewn a filter into my masks that can withstand high temperatures, so instead of two layers, I now have three, which can offer a little more protection. For the filter, I’ve used extra dish towels I had; they can withstand temperatures up to 90° and are naturally very tightly woven.

I sewed another 5 masks today, so now my husband and I each have 7 masks—that should be enough for now, and if not, I’ll just sew some more right away.

Well, the masks don’t actually block viruses, but they don’t do any harm either…

And they do help in that they prevent you from constantly touching your face—especially your mouth—without realizing it.

I think sharing information is great, as long as we don’t pretend that homemade masks are the same as tested FFP3 masks.

We’re lucky that we still have a few FFP2 masks left, so I don’t have to make any :) 

I’ve already picked out a sewing pattern; I think it makes sense to at least protect others with it—after all, no one knows for sure whether they’re a carrier or not.
I also believe we won’t be able to avoid wearing them in the near future anyway—at least when we go shopping.

Since I’m allergic to pollen, I have to sneeze more often than usual at this time of year, but this year people are giving me some pretty dirty looks because of it… I just can’t help it, and I still have to stock up the fridge. Maybe by wearing a mask, I’ll help make others feel a little more “safe”… 

I’m sewing some right now, too. As I’ve mentioned before, the care service where my best friend works urgently needs them.
I’m making them out of molton cloth. You can wash them at 95 degrees, which I think is really practical for a care service. I’m making the straps out of the same fabric, too—it’s a bit of a hassle, but I’m getting better at it :-)))

I’m going to use my cotton scraps to make some nicer ones for my family and myself. 

Since I can’t sew, that’s out of the question for me. I think crocheting or knitting is pointless in this case, since the gaps between the stitches offer no protection when sneezing or coughing—and I imagine it’s also uncomfortable to have cotton against your face. Like Tina, we also still have a few FFP2 masks here, but we didn’t just get them now—my husband brought them home ages ago when he was working here. As long as it’s not mandatory, I don’t wear one, but I stay home most of the time anyway. We only go shopping once a week, just like before the crisis; if we need to restock anything, my husband or my older son goes alone. 

I’m totally unsure about homemade masks. On the one hand, people say homemade masks aren’t very effective; on the other hand, you hear that you can’t even get other kinds anymore… and then I think to myself, better a homemade one than none at all. But the internet is full of patterns, and it’s hard to know which ones are really good anymore.
Here in Austria, wearing masks will probably become mandatory—it’s already required in supermarkets, at least. But they hand them out there, although I didn’t notice any when I went shopping yesterday.

There are also instructions online on how to make masks without sewing.
But you should be aware that these masks, at best, protect others, and that you should dispose of them immediately and wash your hands when you take them off. And don’t fiddle with them on your face because you think they don’t fit properly.
In Austria, these masks are apparently intended mainly to protect supermarket employees.