With Governor Abbot's Execuitve Order GA-29 on July 2nd most of us are back to wearing masks in public places. Whether we want to or not.

And that has a lot of us grumbling about the hassles and discomfort that come with wearing them.

The AARP, yes THAT AARP, has some tips on how to keep our cool while doing our part to slow the spread of coronavirus in Texoma.

Remains Thinkstock
Remains Thinkstock
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First, choose the right fabric. Since the whole pandemic began I've accumulated a few different styles of masks and there is a huge difference in comfort level from one to another. By now a lot of your friends and acquaintances have several and I'm sure they'll be happy to let you know which they prefer on a daily basis. You'll find some are much better for warm days, others will be more comfortable for the cooler weather to come if we're still wearing them next fall and winter.

Second, do your best to keep it dry. Some of us will be wearing these things a lot more than others, for those of us who only need them intermittently throughout the day take it off and let any perspiration evaporate when you're in a position to do so safely. Or keep a second mask on hand and rotate them as needed.

Third, run your mask-required errands or tasks during the coolest parts of the day as much as you can. OK, that sounds so simple in theory, but in Wichita Falls during the heat of summer ... just do the best you can.

Fourth, go light on makeup or skip it entirely. This won't mean much to the guys, but for the ladies this can make a huge difference. When you're perspiring under a mask the makeup gets into the fabric and doesn't look the way you wanted it to, so whenever possible go as light as you can.

Fifth, have more than one. It's a good idea to have a spare mask with you daily, and an even better idea to have several that you can draw from over the course of a few days. When you wear them they become contaminated from both your breath and the outside world. They need to be cleaned on a daily basis but sometimes we'll get busy and not have time or simply forget. The ability to just grab the next one on the pile can be a life saver.

Optimistic woman in medical mask showing thumb up. Virus protection concept
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While the information we get on coronavirus changes daily, if not hourly, one thing is certain, it looks like we'll be wearing some sort of face covering for a while. Even though they can't guarantee you won't catch COVID-19, they will reduce the likelihood and flatten the curve of the infection rate overall.

Just think of face masks as the unexpected fashion trend for 2020.

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