Reducing transmission of SARS-CoV-2

[NNadir]

5. I touched on this point, albeit in a somewhat technical way elsewhere in this space.

Steven Chu and Yi Cui: Can N95 Respirators Be Reused after Disinfection? How Many Times?

The lifetime of masks depends on the material with which they are made, as does treatment.

Some masks are cloth materials that can be washed. We know that surfactants, soaps, inactivate the virus. We also know that the lifetime of the virus on surfaces is not infinite.

I circulate my masks, keeping them in a hot car to minimize the stability of the virus. I have two N95's that my son had left over from his days as a sculpture intern. I've been switching them out each week.

Personally, when handling my masks after a long day, I gel my hands.

The bottom line however is that wearing a mask is an exercise in protecting - for the most part - other people. It offers some protection to one's self, but it is not 100% effective; it just improves your odds. If your mask is highly infected, it is probable that you are infected as well.

Recognizing this, I try to stay as far away from people who are not wearing a mask. They are more dangerous to you than your own mask.

I hope this helps.