Our beautiful, reusable linen duck egg blue face masks, with linen ties, came back into stock this week, having been sold out for a while.
This led me start thinking about the recent and rapid introduction of face masks into all of our lives.
I've spent a bit of time finding out more about what the science says, the latest guidance and the developing trends of matching mask to outfit and thought that it might be worth sharing this with you.
We know that people around the UK and in many other countries must now wear face coverings in most public places. This is to reduce the spread of coronavirus droplets from coughs, sneezes and speaking. Masks are mainly worn to protect other people from illness, rather than yourself.
When worn correctly, face masks should cover your nose and mouth. They can help to reduce the spread of droplets from people who are contagious, including those who have no symptoms, or are yet to develop them.
There is also some evidence that face masks may offer some protection to the wearer although they are not a replacement for social distancing and hand-washing.
Do face coverings work?
Face coverings don't offer as much protection as the masks that healthcare workers wear.
The World Health Organization (WHO) advice says non-medical face coverings should be worn in public, where social distancing is not possible.
Masks help us protect each other and reduce the spread from people who are contagious but have no symptoms, or are yet to develop symptoms.
What are the options?
We started producing our linen masks in response to requests from customers during the first UK lockdown in the spring and moved quickly to offer elastic loops alongside the traditional linen ties.
It's clear that some people have a preference for one over the other, while others have bought both types and in some cases multiple types and colours.
A quick horizon scan shows that masks are now available in every conceivable fabric, print and style and that many more people are embracing reusable masks which can be washed, ironed and worn again and again.
Increasingly, they are an important part of life with fashion, convenience and comfort all playing a role in the choice of your mask. What is clear is that cloth masks are not for medical use, and although scientists are not in collective agreement about the value of masks there is enough evidence to support their use around the world.
We will continue to develop and evolve our linen face mask collection and were delighted to be able to offer three Bee face masks through an Instagram Giveaway last week, congratulations to the winners, since these face masks are not part of our regular collection!
Let us know if you have any specific requests or questions about our reusable linen face mask range.