FAQs on community use of face masks

Wearing face masks may protect you from droplets (small drops) when a person with COVID-19 coughs, speaks or sneezes, and you are less than 1.5 metres away from them.

Wearing a mask will also help protect others if you are infected with the virus, whether or not you have symptoms. 

In general, wearing a face is recommended in all areas where physical distancing is not possible, in areas where there is high level of community transmission of COVID-19 and in high-risk settings, such as hospitals, aged care facilities and other places where people receive health care.

You can use a cloth mask or a single-use surgical mask. Both types of masks are suitable for use to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Cloth masks are any nose and mouth covering made of washable fabric that you can breathe through. Surgical masks are single use, so can’t be washed and used again.

For more information on what mask to use, please refer to the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s post market review of face masks.

Your best protection is to physically distance (i.e. keep 1.5 metres away from other people), to clean your hands thoroughly and regularly with alcohol-based hand rub (made up of over 60% alcohol or 70% isopropanol) or soap and water, and cover your mouth with your elbow, or a tissue when you cough or sneeze.

Face masks (cloth masks and surgical masks) are helpful in containing droplets when people cough or sneeze, reducing the likelihood of spreading the virus.

You can purchase cloth masks or surgical masks from chemists, supermarkets, hardware stores and other shops or online.

1. Clean your hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub (made up of over 60% alcohol or 70% isopropanol) before you put on your mask.
2. Hold the mask by its tapes or loops, then tie the mask around your head or put the loops around your ears.
3. Make sure the mask completely covers your mouth and nose, and that there are no gaps between your face and the mask. If you are using a surgical mask, press the nose piece around your nose.

If you are using a mask with ear loops, you can use a plastic clip or tie to join the ends together at the back of your head to make sure it fits securely on your face.

Make sure that your mask does not have holes or a valve, as if you have COVID-19, you can breathe out the virus.

Do not touch your eyes, nose, or mouth or the front of the mask while wearing it.

If the mask gets soiled or damp, replace it with a new one.

1. Clean your hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub (made up of over 60% alcohol or 70% isopropanol) before you take off your mask.
2. Take the mask off from behind your head by pulling the tapes or loops straightforward and moving the mask away from your face. Do not touch the front of the mask.
3. If you are using a surgical mask, throw the mask in the bin. If you are using a cloth mask, put it straight in the laundry or store used face masks in a plastic bag until you can wash them.
4. Clean your hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub (made up of over 60% alcohol or 70% isopropanol) after you take off your mask and throw it away or store it to wash.

You can take off your mask, once you are away from other people.

You cannot re-use surgical masks.

You can wash and re-use cloth masks. It is a good idea to have at least two, so you will always have a clean one available.

Re-using a cloth mask without washing it is risky, because it can become contaminated or may not be as effective in protecting you. For each new situation put on a clean mask. Carry your clean masks in a plastic or paper bag to keep them clean.

Cloth masks can be washed in the washing machine with other clothes, or hand-washed using soap and the warmest appropriate water setting for the cloth.

Dry the cloth mask a clothes dryer or in fresh air before you re-use it.

Always clean your hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub (made up of over 60% alcohol or 70% isopropanol) after handling used face masks.

Face shields may be easier to wear for some people. If face shields are used, ensure they cover your mouth, nose, the sides of your face and below your chin. Reusable face shields should be cleaned and disinfected after each use. Disposable face shields should only be worn once, and thrown in the bin.

Children under two years should never wear a face mask due to choking and strangulation risks.