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Victoria State is under State of Disaster, and How I Made Homemade Washable Face Mask

How I Made Homemade Washable Face Mask

Hello Internet!

If you have been listening to the daily news update, you will hear daily saddest news about the continually increasing number of coronavirus cases, and only a few percentages of the previous cases get well.

Sometimes just to avoid the stress, as much as possible I would minimize watching the news, but it is inevitable especially here in Victoria State where the communication strategist of the State Government is very proactive in delivering updates and the right information to all Victorians.
As an expat here in Victoria, I am starting to get used to many changes brought by an invisible enemy.




How to make a homemade washable face mask

How I Made Homemade Washable Face Mask
About a few weeks ago, Melbourne CBD and the Mitchell Shire are under Stage 3 of restrictions something that we live in the country areas (like Gippsland) are not included in the Stage 3 restriction. 

But on Thursday noon, VIC Premier Dan Andrews announced an update for all Victorians. Starting today, the 2nd of August at 11:59PM that all Victorians, including regional, are required to wear a mask when in public places. This is a state-wide mandate that we should follow, or else anyone who will be caught without wearing a mask will receive a fine of AUD$200



Though honestly, I am already expecting this additional mandate for statewide because there are still many people who are carelessly not following the state’s restrictions. I would not be surprised that cases continue to grow faster than my tulips. 


So here I am getting busy sewing extra homemade face masks using some cotton fabrics that I’ve got in the summer. We opt for using the washable face mask because disposable face mask is not good for the environment.



disposable face mask in the ocean
See what I meant?

Using the pattern of the face mask that we’ve ordered online, I am now making homemade face masks for our family and friends, and for those, we know that needs them. Stores nearby are starting to deplete their stocks and there is no guarantee when they will replenish (issue with orders and logistic wise). 

How I Made Homemade Washable Face Mask
I am also making some extras that we will giveaway for fellow Filipinos here in the Gippsland community. 

(If you are from Gippsland, please message me!)

You can also visit Brother Philippines for another face mask tutorial, and available pattern to download.



VICTORIA State under the State of Disaster

Just only this afternoon 2nd of August, Premier Dan Andrews announced that Victoria is under the State of Disaster. This change happened due to the increasing number of coronavirus cases in the CBD Melbourne, and to prevent the spread of cases across the suburban areas.

The following are the latest restrictions for Melbourne, and the rest of the regions of Victoria:

Stage 4 restrictions for Melbourne and Stage 3 restrictions for regional Victoria:

Melbourne

For Melbourne, new restrictions will take effect from 6pm today (Sunday 2 August). A curfew will be in place from 8pm this evening. Curfews will be in operation from 8pm to 5am every evening. People are only allowed to leave their house for work and essential health, care, or safety reasons.

Outside of these hours, you are only allowed to leave your house for 1 of the following four reasons:

* To purchase food and necessary supplies. This must be done within a 5km radius from where you live. Only 1 person per household can leave for essential goods, and only once per day. For some people, the nearest goods and services will be more than 5km away. In this situation, you may travel beyond 5km to the nearest provider. If you are unable to leave home because it would mean leaving a young child or at-risk person at home unattended, then they may accompany you.

* Exercise once a day for up to 1 hour within a 5km radius of your home. Gathering sizes will be limited to 2. If you are unable to leave home because it would mean leaving a young child or at-risk person at home unattended, then they may accompany you.

* For care and health care including accompanying someone for essential medical care if you are a carer, guardian, or necessary support person. The 5km limit does not apply to care or caregiving.

* Work. Study at TAFE and university must be done remotely. The 5km limit does not apply to work.


You are also allowed to leave your home to visit your partner or as part of formal or informal shared parenting arrangements.

If you are escaping family violence, you can also leave your home.

You can always leave home in case of an emergency.

You must continue to wear a face-covering when you leave your home.




Regional Victoria including Mitchell Shire will move to Stage 3 restrictions:
This means you must stay home except for the following four reasons:

* For food and essential supplies
* For study or work
* For care and healthcare
* And for exercise or outdoor recreation
* When outside your home, you must wear a face covering.

No visitors are allowed at your home, and you are only allowed to gather with one person from outside your household in public.

Schools returning to remote learning
All schools around Victoria will move to remote learning this week. Schools will remain open for vulnerable children and the children of permitted workers.

Kinders and early childhood centres in metropolitan Melbourne will only be open for vulnerable children and children whose parents are permitted workers.

Specialist schools, kinder and childcare will remain open in regional areas.







New restrictions for regional Victoria and mandatory face coverings for all of Victoria
The announcement made: 11:00am, 30 July 2020

In line with the advice of the Chief Health Officer, the Victorian Government has announced a number of changes in regional Victoria.

From 11:59pm on Thursday 30 July, you will no longer be able to have visitors at home, or visit other people’s homes if you live in the following local government areas:

Greater Geelong
Surf Coast
Moorabool
Golden Plains
Colac Otway
Borough of Queenscliffe

You may still continue to visit your partner, and exemptions continue to apply for care and caregiving reasons.  If you live in one of these areas, these restrictions will travel with you.




Face coverings mandatory for all of Victoria




How I Made Homemade Washable Face Mask
From 11:59pm on Sunday 2 August, face coverings will also be mandatory for all of Victoria.

The same lawful exemptions that currently apply in metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire, will apply across Victoria. These include if you have a medical condition or other condition that impairs your ability to wear a face covering, doing strenuous exercise or if you are unable to do your job while wearing a face covering.

Wearing a face covering protects you and your community by providing an additional physical barrier to coronavirus (COVID-19).

People who do not wear face coverings and do not have a lawful excuse can be fined $200.

As in metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire, masks will be made available to schools and vulnerable people living in regional Victoria.

Children who are under the age of 12 years old do not need to wear a face covering. Children who are two years or younger must not wear face coverings as they are a choking and suffocation risk.

Guidelines will be developed about how wearing a face-covering applies in different settings in regional Victoria.

How I Made Homemade Washable Face Mask
We all need to play our part to help slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). By staying at home and limiting contact with other people, we can help protect ourselves, our families, and our communities from coronavirus (COVID-19).

Download the COVIDSafe App to help contact tracing of coronavirus cases throughout Australia.


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118 comments :

  1. I've been loving seeing everyone's homemade masks, and these ones are super cute! I'll have to order some fun, colourful fabric online because they're so much cuter than the disposable ones and it is really sad to think about how many are going to end up in landfill and the ocean after all of this is over 😩 Plus, I love a good sewing project! It'll keep me distracted now that I can't even leave the house to do food shopping, as there's two of us in my household, but I can't drive, so I've just got to hope my partner knows what he's doing and he usually just pushes the trolley while I put everything inside! Hah!

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    1. Hahaha same here Indya, and yup you are not alone, I don't drive too! Glad I had those fabrics in-stock that I bought last summer, and now I find them useful. Better to wear homemade mask in fun prints to give us delight everyday :)

      I can't afford that $200 fine!

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  2. Everywhere its a disaster now and even in India mask is mandatory and anyone found without mask is charged heavy penalty. Thank you for sharing the tips to make a washable mask at home because even I was talking to my family members last night about making it. I can learn from here so I'm bookmarking it!

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    1. Thank you dear! Just make facemask at home, or using your old t-shirt. Buying disposable facemask is not good for the environment.

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    2. I made one, thanks to your idea

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  3. Well I'm glad they're imposing stricter measures now such as penalizing someone not wearing a mask. I don't get it why people refuse to wear them ~ it could literally save someone's life! And God bless your heart for making eco friendly face masks and giving them out to your loved ones as well! Stay safe there, Blair! :)

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    1. Thank you Hazel! Yeah, wearing a face mask might be a little uncomfortable, but we only wear it when we go outside in public. A little gesture like this will help the community to stop the spread of virus. Stay safe too!

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    2. Ohh yes I get it - wearing face masks can be a little uncomfy nga lalo na pag matagal. But hopefully more people there will follow this basic protocol. ❤️ Ingat!

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  4. With the rise in mandatory masks around the world this is completely necessary. Thank you for sharing. We all need a good washable mask.

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    1. Better be safe than sorry and pay for more hefty hospital (or funeral) bills.

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    2. Such a cute creation! Definitely need of the hour.

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  5. Please stay home and stay safe. Here in the Philippines its been crazy. We had 3k, 4k, and today 5k new cases and we're still not on lockdown. It's scary.

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    1. Yeah, we are just staying at home most of the time, and we WFH. We only go out for food groceries.

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  6. Thank you for guiding us on how to make some reusable masks! I've seen the single use ones littered all over the place and it makes me so sad to think how lazy some people can be.

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  7. Very nice initiative. My mother is also doing the same. She is making 3 layered masks at home with her sewing machine. I appreciate your efforts. In fact we do not even know how long we need to wear it may be years.

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    1. That is true! My friends say that I could sell them.. well that's true. However, I believe on not capitalizing the disaster :) My heart couldn't accept it.

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  8. It's crazy how one minute Australia had a firm handloe on infection rates and the next minute, they're spiralling out of control. you don't want to be like us in the U.S. so please wash hands, wear masks and just be careful when outside. Cloth masks with filters in them are reusable and prevents the littering that has begun with the wearing of PPE. Stay safe.

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    1. That's true! Turns out many new cases didn't show any signs of symptoms, and if you got a weak body then it will be terrible.

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  9. Indeed! Mask nowadays is really a necessity for us, however there some that causes allergies and making your DIY mask can reduce the risk of these allergies.

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    1. Yeah, I noticed that I started getting pimples when I wear mask for longer hours :)
      Now I need to find out some remedy!

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  10. I highly recommend to use washable mask than disposable mask to protect our environment because nowdays people are very lack of discipline! I love this DYI face mask always keep safe :)

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  11. Uggg. I'm so sorry you are back to Stay at Home. A lot of those restrictions were the same for Singapore. Hopefully, everyone keeps doing their part in keeping public health & safety as their 1# priority, we won't regress. Stay strong, healthy and vigilant.

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    1. Thanks Sarah! And you too, stay safe and be strong :)

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  12. That is such an awesome idea and diy! Sheet masks are so comfortable and easy to use!

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    1. That is right! It is easy to wear and use but still many doesn't want to wear it and get fined instead.

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  13. People are only just starting to wear facemasks in the UK, I plan on embracing them completely.

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    1. That's great! At first wave of corona, regional Victoria is not required to wear mask but things have changed. We are now mandatory.

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  14. Thank you for sharing this homemade cloth face mask. It will be very helpful to do this because we all need face mask.

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  15. The mask looks wonderful! Stay safe there. I am so sorry it is not getting better for you.

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    1. We are safe, Thank you Lyosha. I am grateful that we are living in regional Victoria and not in the city of Melbourne.

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  16. What a great skill to have, making washable face masks. Well done!

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  17. It is so disgraceful that people litter. It doesn't take much to throw something away. I am glad that you are sharing how to make facemasks as I don't won't to use the disposable ones anymore.

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    1. We don't know how long we need to wear face mask so using a sustainable one is recommended.

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  18. I love the patterns on your handmade masks! You did such a good job with them.

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  19. Hi there. I've made several face masks as well but none in this style. I'll try that next, thanks, stay safe.

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  20. I wear a cloth mask that I got from someone who sews. I am so bad at sewing myself!

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  21. I made some back in March at the start of our lock down. Definitely not interested in the disposables unless necessary (hospital etc). Crazy, that pic of the masks really shows how reckless people are!

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    1. Yeah, and I am worried how many tons of disposable mask will be sitting in landfills.

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  22. These are super cute and since it's now mandatory everywhere I need to start making known.Thank you for this.

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  23. I have been making masks at home too. Yours look a lot better. I watched your video and I found out what I was doing wrong. Thank you!

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  24. It’s very kind of you for sharing what you’ve made. We Filipinos really love helping each other especially on this time of crisis. One of my friends here do the same. Keep up the work. Love your pattern by the way.

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    1. Thank you dear! I am glad to share my little blessings.

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  25. thanks for sharing, Blair! Stay safe please. We in California have to wear masks too when out in public. Hopefully it will help slow the spread. Some cities even have a fine if you are without a mask.

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    1. Yeah, I heard the fine increases already here in Australia.

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  26. Oh dear, things are not looking great. On a brighter note, your face masks are so pretty and bring a spot of positivity which we all need right now.

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  27. Those masks are super cute. I would love to craft a few of them!

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  28. awesome!! My cousin can sew and made us some masks thankfully!!

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  29. That is great that you made them. Same here and I am searching everywhere for masks as we are running low!

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  30. Love the image with you and the furbaby, indeed this thought has been on my mind too and I am so happy to see it voiced out.

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  31. You must stay home and stay safe, not the things are going to be normal so be patience....Washable face mask looks good hope it will keep you safe from virus...

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  32. great looking homemade masks! I love the reusable option so we (people) stop polluting the environment.
    Tkae care of our world so it takes care of us!

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  33. I am so glad you are promoting these sustainable homemade cloth mask that you can reuse rather than those cheap but wasteful one time only type masks. It just blows my mind how much trash people are creating during this pandemic and I dont even consider myself a proactive environmentalist of any sort. Keep up the great message and love how simple you made these masks!

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  34. We are using washable face mask too, though we have some disposable surgical mask we are saving it for later. I love how you make your own masks.

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    1. Yes, since the beginning we don't use the disposable mask coz it is very wasteful.

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  35. I love your Homemade Washable Face Mask. It's very helpful and timely. We need to be more sustainable.

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  36. you're so talented Blair,love all your homemade cloth masks shared, wish am at your area to receive one too :D My home country also imposed penalty for not wearing mask while in public area of approximately USD300
    let's stay safe always
    cheers, siennylovesdrawing

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    Replies
    1. Oh wow that is too expensive penalty! Think about how much skincare products I could buy of my $300!

      Delete
  37. We put filters inside our washable cloth masks as extra protection. Even with this pandemic, we shouldn’t be careless about out wastes at all. It saddens me that things aren’t looking good there. It’s kind of a total wreck down here in the philippines.

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    1. Hard to control in the Philippines when its whole population in Manila alone, is only equivalent of the whole Australia.

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  38. I have several washable hand-made masks at home. I keep one in each vehicle and one in my purse, as we too, are under a mask mandate anytime we are in public. I like the endless varieties of materials that home-made masks can be made with.

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    1. Yeah better use washable and always keep it handy.

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  39. This is really unique. Very innovative. Wear masks, save lives. period.

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  40. Your homemade facemasks are nice. I don't sew so I only bought my washable facemasks but it's better than using disposable ones.

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    1. Don't worry Peachy! You are supporting a local business :)

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  41. I agree with using a washable face mask than reusable face masks. Hope you are safe there in Australia

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    1. Yes we are safe and we minimized our outdoor activities.

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  42. As an environmentalist, the wast brought about by the pandemic surely bothers me. People are using up so much face masks and disposing them irresponsibly. can't help but think how bad the effects are to our seas. I'm glad to stumble upon this post so i can make my own

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    1. That's true. Breaks my heart seeing tons of USED disposable face mask everywhere.

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  43. Prayers for Victoria and the whole of Australia. And God bless you for sharing your DIY facemasks to others, you have such a good heart.

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  44. Sending positivity to you and I love the masks!

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  45. It's good that you can make homemade masks and also wash them too, as they are extremely important.

    Stay safe in Austrailia, as it is mad here in the UK!

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    1. Yes, thanks you. We are making our movements just indoors.

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  46. I love the photo of you in your living space (and that mask tutorial was awesome)! I heard from my boss who's in Melbourne that he's only allowed I think an hour a day to be outside and travel no more than 5km from his home... seems pretty strict but if it helps keep the virus contained, it'll be worth the restrictions. Please be safe!

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    1. Yes it is, and very strict in Melbourne CBD. Penalties also increased to stop people from going out, and follow the health regulations. We are living in Gippsland, and not strict like in Melbourne however, we voluntarily follow as if we are in Melbourne :)

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  47. Latly, I've been ordering a lot of patterned cloth face mask tas may mga plain din pang OOTD hahaha kasi mask is now mandatory. It's already part of our everyday living kaya kasama na sya sa overall look pag umaalis ng bahay. These patterns are really pretty. Stay safe po diyan! :)

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    1. Thanks dear! I like the idea of matching face mask with your ootd!

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  48. I think I'm going to make this a weekend project. I have been using store-bought masks and they look so generic.

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    1. You can make your own mask, and incorporate your own style. After all, it is now mandatory to wear it when outside your home.

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  49. stay safe sis! hope it gets better na for us. i love your face masks.. ang happy ng designs and ganyan nga yung bet ko na style ng masks yung me shape compare dun sa iba.

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    1. I am thinking of using satin fabric naman coz it is lighter and the thread is more tighter than cotton. Yung cotton fabric kasi napansin ko mainit sa balat.

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  50. I love your cloth masks designs. I actually want to have cloth masks but my husband is insisting to use the medical mask because he's a nurse and he's saying that whenever we go out to crowded places, we should wear the disposable one for better protection. Can't blame him because he's one of the frontliners. So what we do is we use cloth mask at home and in front of the house when we water the plants or just buy at the nearby store.

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    1. I understand his point. But still, no medical things and equipment are recycles and medical industry is one of the highest pollutants. But yeah, that is the saddest part nga, better use the safest :)

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  51. Great point! Aside from the designs of your DIY masks looks creative, people should also learn to be more responsible and mindful of what they do amidst our situation today.

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  52. washable face mask is best than those disposable. Hopefully hospitals also use washable coz mostly they are the ones who uses disposable facemask even before this pandemic

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  53. I work for a company based in Geelong and we can definitely feel the impact of the lockdown on our clients who are mostly based in Victoria Areas. Stay safe and keep the hope. It will be over soon.

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  54. WOW! This is amazing. You are so inspiring! I hope you are safe and yes I need more face mask! I need to start buying or making them!

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  55. I love the colorful fabrics of your facemasks. I bet you could pick one to go for your fashionable wardrobe. Here in the philippines, they’re also gonna be requiring face shields as well on top of face masks. Hopefully, it will help lessen the cases here

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    1. I heard that too! Wearing the face shield is not yet brought up here in Australia. Stay safe Christian!

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  56. I'm so glad to see you are doing your own face mask. I had been meaning to do that but haven't sat down on it yet. I am using washable ones from giveaways.

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  57. Like you, I also opt for using washable face mask because disposable face mask is not good for the environment. I will try to make my own washable face mask too!Thanks for the inspiration! Keep Safe :)

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  58. I've been wearing cloth face masks too that is washable! Anyways, hey, take care! I know it's very strict there but it's all for the best! Stay healthy!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you dear! Yes, we are trying all our best to be safe.

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