After the U.S. government came out with the recommendation that we all should wear masks in public -- making your own has become the latest arts & crafts craze.

The recommendation to wear a mask is to keep individuals without the virus, but may not even know they have it, from spreading it to others -- and is NOT a substitute for staying home and social distancing.

Officials don't want healthy people using medical N95 masks because of fears they would fly off the shelves (kind of like toilet paper) leaving health care workers without.

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The recommendation is to create masks using tight-weave cotton fabric. Here's the simplest method I could find, using a bandana (or cut t-shirt) and a couple of rubber bands.

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The Center for Disease Control adds:

It is critical to emphasize that maintaining 6-feet social distancing remains important to slowing the spread of the virus. CDC is additionally advising the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others. Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure.

This recommendation complements and does not replace the President’s Coronavirus Guidelines for America, 30 Days to Slow the Spread -- or Governor Walz's 'Stay Home MN' executive order.

Pete Hanson is on 98.1 Minnesota's New Country weekday mornings from 5:30 to 10:00.

MORE INFO: 7 easy ways to stop touching your face

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