CDC: Wear a Face Mask when leaving your home

Hershey’s Mill Master Association

*****************************SPECIAL ALERT******************************

Fellow Hershey’s Mill Residents, 

(This has been sent to all HM residents registered on the HM email platform)
(Note Update sequencing number is out of order.)

The Centers For Disease Control and the PA Dept of Health are advising  everyone to wear a Face Mask when leaving your home.

Everyone should wear a Face Mask when leaving their home: CDC & PA Dept of Health

See links below.

This email contains:
-more information on these advisories,
-a 45 Second Video from Dr. Jerome Adams, Surgeon General on How to Make A Quick Face Mask
-More information about making Face Masks, No Sewing and Sewing
– A Short Video on Why Face Masks are Important

-a short note from Mitchell A. Fremlin, MD. a surgeon, about masks
-see graphics below the email for postings from PA DOH on When to Seek Care, Social Distancing,
Are You Home?

Short Explanations:

“Wearing a mask helps prevent those who may be infectious but are only mildly symptomatic or not symptomatic from spreading the virus to others in the community. By increasing the overall number of people who are containing their coughs, sneezes, and other droplets, it will help us control the overall spread of the virus.” CDC

– My Mask Protects You, Your Mask Protects Me.  Scientist and Doctors, Worldwide are sharing critical and vital information with each other.  Here is an important message about Masks:
Click Here for Short YouTube Video on Masks – Are They Important for the Average Citizen?

– We are all in this together

– Stay Home and Break The Chain of COVID-19 Exposure

****Leaving Your Home:****
If you must leave your home, wear a homemade mask when:

🛒 shopping at essential business, like grocery store
⚕️ visiting health care provider
–     using public transportation
🏽 interacting with customers at essential businesses
feeling sick, coughing or sneezing
Wear a Mask when outside your home any where

****Going Outside**** for fresh air & exercise is encouraged

Yes, you can go outside for fresh air and exercise, but keep these social distancing guidelines in mind:
-stay at least 6 feet away from others who don’t live in your home
-avoid crowded areas
️-visit outdoor spaces in your community

When walking around Hershey’s Mill for exercise, we often see friends.  It is natural to stand close to friends and family.  RESIST the urge to stand close when greeting and speaking with each other.

****PA DOH: Wearing a mask DOES NOT mean that you can go visit friends or family in person or go back to work at a non-essential business. Stay home, PA!****

From The CDC
“We now Know from Recent Studies that a significant portion of individuals with coronavirus lack symptoms (“asymptomatic”) and that even those who eventually develop symptoms (“pre-symptomatic”) can transmit the virus to others before showing symptoms.  This means that the virus can spread between people interacting in close proximity…” and “It is critical to emphasize that maintaining 6-feet social distancing remains important to slowing the spread of the virus. CDC is additionally advising the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others.”

> Dr Jerome Adams on making a Face Mask with NO SEWING.
Click Here to be taken to a 45 second YouTube by Dr. Jerome Adams, US Surgeon General on How to Make a NO SEW Face Mask

Click Here to be taken to the CDC Page on Prevent Getting Sick

Click Here to be Taken to the CDC Page on Do It Yourself Face Mask – Sewing and No Sewing

Short Video on: Masks – Are they important for the average citizen?

How to Significantly Slow the Spread of Coronavirus. Featuring the Minister of Health of the Czech Republic  Click here to be taken to the YouTube video

How To Obtain or Make Face Masks – Sewing and No Sewing
The Federal Government is mulling ways to possibly distribute re-usable Face Masks to the General Public. This would take too long to help the average citizen – you and I.  DO NOT WAIT. All distributed protective personal gear must go to those on the front lines.  If we don’t protect our doctors, nurses, PA’s, nursing assistants, EMT’s, Police Officers, Fire Personnel, etc, etc., they will not be there to help us when we need it most.  Make your own, if you can.  See instructions below.
Sewing and Non Sewing Tips:
– for those making elastic ear-lopes, try the following for elastic:
Cut Off the: Elastic band at top of socks, top of knee highs, anything with elastic in it.
– For the Nose Pinch, use twist ties you may have saved from bread bags, cut them off the top of fold down coffee bags, use any piece of thinner aluminum cut to size

1) A group is being organized in HM to make Face Masks for those who Do Not Sew and are not able to make a NO Sew Face Mask.  Please make your own Face Mask if you are able. Watch for more information on this in a future email.  If you would like to volunteer to make Masks, please send an email to helpinghandshmill@gmail.com.

2) Dr. Jerome Adams, US Surgeon General, on making a Face Mask with NO SEWING.Click Here for Dr. Adams

3) CDC on Home made Face coverings – No sewing and sewing
CDC Make Yourself Face Masks – Sewing and No Sewing

4) JoAnn’s Fabrics, Downingtown had Face Mask Kits.  Call ahead before going there.  Available stock will change.

5) From the PA Dept of Health – How to Make a Face Mask Sewing

“You may have heard that surgical masks don’t work for preventing viral infections and may increase the risk of infection. Why is this? It is because people not accustomed to wearing masks can’t keep their hands off them. They constantly fiddle with them, adjust them, pull them down to talk and so on. Every time they do this, they are contaminating their mask with their hands, and if their hands have virus or bacteria on them, then they are risking infection.

As a surgeon, I am used to standing around for hours without touching my mask or my face, but it is very difficult for someone who is not used to this. So, if you decide to wear a mask for protection against viral or bacterial infection, here is what you need to do:

(1) Start with a clean mask. If you are reusing a mask, make sure that you keep it clean when you are not wearing it.

(2) Wash your hands well with soap and water, for a minimum of 20 seconds but preferably more.

(3) Place your mask and get it adjusted perfectly. It may help to do this in front of a mirror.

(4) Now wash your hands again. You are doing this to protect everyone else since you have contaminated your hands by touching your face.

(5) Do not ever touch the mask or any part of your face again unless you repeat steps 2 to 4.

That’s it. It may be hard to get in the habit, but if surgeons can do it, you can, too!”

Mitchell A. Fremlin
Westminster, Colo.

Life under Stay at Home orders for the majority of Hershey’s Mill residents means leaving your home for essentially four things, including trips for:

–       food, including grocery stores or take out,

–       pharmacy,

–       doctor or vet for our pets, only after calling first as most ‘visits’ are telemedicine visits today.  Medicare has recently approved telemedicine as covered.

–       exercise keeping a safe distance apart.  For us here in HM, we can walk on our many walking trails and for this special period of time on the golf course until it reopens for play.

NEIGHBORS:
– Please check on your neighbors regularly.  A simple phone call checking in may make all the difference in someone’s day. We are all in this together – call a neighbor or two today.  If you just moved here an don’t know any one, call one of your Village Council members.

-Please communicate this information to any neighbor that does not receive emails.

– Please check with your friends and neighbors to be sure they see the COVID-19 emails.

COMMUNITY UPDATES

1)    Please tune into Hershey’s Mill Community TV (HMTC) Channel 1971 for updates via scrolling banners

2)    Please log onto hersheysmill.org for updates on the HersheyMill website.

We thank you for your understanding and patience as we navigate these unprecedented times.

On behalf of the Technology Committee,

To your health and safety,

Wash your hands, stay healthy,

Bill and Sherry Kane
Co-Chairs, HM Technology Committee