The #walk1000miles buff-type neck tube tells two kinds of story – one of global climate change (the stripes represent average temperature variations over 150 years) and another of your participation in one of the UK’s biggest self-improvement movements, with the badger that has become its mascot.
Now it can be pressed into service in a way that we never envisaged – as a front in the battle against the spread of covid-19. Face-coverings are set recommended in all situations where social distancing isn’t possible – and a make-do solution is better than either doing nothing or using a medical-grade mask that could be better deployed by a health professional. Anything is much better than nothing, say the experts – and with one small addition it can be quite effective (but wash it regularly).
Why wear a face-covering?
The point of mask wearing isn’t to prevent infection in you so much as it is to prevent you spreading potentially infected vapour from your mouth or nose. Covid-19 can be spread by asymptomatic people so you may never know you have become a spreader. And all materials you might use in a DIY face mask are far better than none.
Doubling over your #walk1000miles neck tube dramatically increases its ability to filter particles – up to around 60% of particles 1 micron in size. But this rises to 95% or more if you include a piece of kitchen towel or a coffee filter in your doubled-over tube.
