The FDA has updated their guidance on restaurant employees wearing face masks while working. I’m going to post the link and the direct text from the FDA’s site below to save you some time.
If you want to learn more about how to wear the masks and keep them clean, the 3rd bullet point below will take you to the CDC’s site that has more info.
This is the link to the FDA’s site, Food Safety and the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
In the first response under the Questions and Answers for Industry Section – Social Distancing, Disinfecting & Other Precautions
Should Employers in retail food and food production settings wear face coverings to prevent exposure to COVID-19 Posted 4/42020
On April 3, the CDC released an updated recommendation regarding the use of cloth face coverings to help slow the spread of COVID-19. CDC recommends the use of simple cloth face coverings as a voluntary public health measure in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies).
For workers on farms, and in food production, processing, and retail settings who do not typically wear masks as part of their jobs, consider the following if you choose to use a cloth face covering to slow the spread of COVID-19:
- Maintain face coverings in accordance with parameters in FDA’s Model Food Code sections 4-801.11 Clean Linens and 4.802.11 Specifications.
- Launder reusable face coverings before each daily use.
- CDC also has additional information on the use of face coverings, including washing instructions and information on how to make homemade face covers.
NOTE: The cloth face coverings recommended by CDC are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators. Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance.