By Nick Morrison

This coming Friday sees the mandatory use of masks/face coverings in shops in Scotland, presumably also in other indoor locations where social distancing is difficult to achieve.

Masks/face covering has been mandatory in Germany for a couple of weeks now and several weeks in Portugal. Both of those countries have had a fraction of the deaths per head of population compared with the British Isles.

 I saw a few more in the shops this Saturday than I have previously noticed, presumably folk taking the Scottish Government’s warnings and advice to heart and at least practising.

Let  it be said from the start they are not fun or comfortable to wear and have tendency to fog up one’s glasses.

 So how to stop your glasses from steaming up whilst wearing a mask .

It does not have to be a mask, as in Germany a face covering will do.

A

Wear the glasses on the outside of the mask/ face covering as in the photos. If wearing a mask with a wee metal strip for the nose , make sure this gives a snug fit.

A mask

A balaclava

A head over simply a tube of cloth

B

Wash the glasses in soap and water and air dry. This leaves a fine film of soap over the lens which severely inhibits misting up.

C

There are plenty of anti fog preparations on the market all of which will be more expensive than “B”

Wearing a mask makes you up to 60% less likely to inhale someone else’s exhaled Covid droplets. Equally important it helps to protect others if you have the virus and don’t know it between 60 to 80% of people who have the virus do not show any symptoms at all. (asymptomatic).

If making a mask at home a single layer of a discarded cotton “T” shirt is normally OK, 2 layers are better, but take longer to dry after washing. 3 layers however make it difficult to breath through.

Link: Why Wearing a Face Mask is Important