As the COVID-19 pandemic has been in the United States for almost a year, many online and brick-and-mortar retailers have turned to selling face coverings, with disclaimers on their packaging questioning their effectiveness.

Guthrie County Public Health Director Jotham Arber says if any resident is looking to have a cloth face mask, he recommends calling his department first, as they have procured 6,000 masks to give out for free. He understands that residents may want to wear something decorative or that shows off their personality, but he cautions them to study masks and their packaging closely before purchasing them from a business, “Granted nothing other than surgical masks or N95s would be up to medical-grade level, but what we know is that if you’ve two layers or two layers and a filter that’s going to go a long way to stopping virus spread. It’s a physical barrier and because the virus lives in droplets, (it) does a very good job of keeping that from being expelled from you to others.”

If a mask is labeled to “not prevent the spread of any virus,” Arber advises to research these masks further and check to see if they have at least two layers of fabric to be protective. It’s also important to check what type of fabric the mask is made from to ensure you’re not allergic to it either.