This was the great debate in the beginning of the year. Not to mention the non-use of mask as the third option.
But first things first, we should all know the effectiveness rating between these three.
Disposable Masks > Fabric masks > No mask at all.
With all the recent events during this pandemic season, It should already be clear that majority of the people should use fabric masks. By the time of writing, there is clearly no scarcity of disposable face masks here in Singapore. Those boxes of face masks that were selling like luxury pancakes that sells for $60 a piece can now easily be found anywhere in Singapore for $9.
There’s definitely an oversupply of these disposable masks. And because since they are disposable, a huge portion of these masks won’t be disposed properly and will (surely) be an ecological issue some time in the future.
With that said, we’re not advocating the non-use of disposable masks. It’s good to look at the usage in an 80/20 perspective. You should only be using disposable masks 20% of the time (with the other 80% wearing a fabric mask). That means it’s wise to keep a few pieces or maybe a whole box (since it costs a lot cheaper now) for yourself.
So when is the best time to wear a disposable mask?
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When you are working in a hospital or any medical facility.
This should be a no brainer. And the disposable surgical masks should be their lowest tier of “mask” as most of them should be wearing respirators such as N95.
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When you’re visiting hospitals, clinics or any treatment facilities.
Why? Because it still really is a high risk environment. If you don’t visit any of this facilities regularly, then this should be the best time to use disposable mask.
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When you or someone else forgot to wear their fabric mask in public.
Not wearing a mask these days in Singapore can get someone a hefty fine. Not a good news. So it’s always a smart move to stock up a bag of a few disposable masks and a piece of fabric mask for emergency. A lot of things could happen. You could see someone not wearing a fabric mask and covering their mouths with their hands instead due to panic, or your fabric mask accidentally got wet or you simply just walked out of the house like it was 2019.
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If you think you are feeling unwell and having a flu or cough.
The best time to wear disposable mask and also the best time to visit a clinic.
It really is up to you. Some people wants to be super secured and will want to wear the ones with the highest protection no matter what. Nothing is wrong with that unless each and every one of us thought that way then we’re screwed.
But just putting it out there, Fabric Masks are effective enough for our usual activities like going to the market, afternoon walks or commutes. Disposable masks could be a lot cheaper now but we’re going to pay a higher price in the future. Let’s be responsible and reduce the (already piling) waste that are the disposable masks.
Now enough about the disposable masks, let’s talk about fabric masks. There are so many fabric masks out there right now. Some are ridiculously over-priced (like the $60 disposable masks), some are free (our review of the Government mask)! And some are regularly priced (like our C+ Fabric Masks). They all have their own pros and cons.
As for our C+ Fabric Masks, if you are interested, here’s a link where you can read more about it, check out the reviews or maybe try one for yourself.
