WASHINGTON, N.C. — QUESTION:
Is there a correct way to wear a traditional blue and white medical face mask?
ANSWER:
Yes
SOURCES:
World Health Organization
PRI-Medical
PROCESS:
There are Facebook posts and social media videos claiming there are two ways to wear a medical face mask to protect yourself against the coronavirus.
They claim if you are sick, wear the face mask blue colored side out so you don’t spread the virus.
If you are healthy, wear the white side out to keep viruses from coming into the mask.
Dr. April Baller is with the World Health Organization, Health Emergency Program and works in Infectious Prevention and Control.
In this World Health Organization video, Dr. Baller explains the inside of the mask is usually the white side.
This WHO infographic says, ensure the color side faces outward.
We also checked with PRI-Medical, a global medical products manufacturer.
And it says medical masks are made to be fluid resistant, with the waterproof layer on the outside to “minimize the amount of fluid that could transfer from the outer layers through to the inner layers as the result of a splash or spray.”
So, we can VERIFY, yes, medical masks should be worn with the colored side facing out.
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