Someone made a DIY acetate mask tutorial so you can help frontliners as you fight your cabin fever

Week two of quarantine is almost over. Have you adjusted yet?

If you’re still raging with cabin fever (we know, we know), despite all the possible home improvement project suggestions and Netflix shows, and Instagram quizzes, first: you have to know among the lucky one.

Second: Why not use all your energy and time to do something that can help our heroes?

Sharon See, a production designer and artist, made protective acetate masks for their village guards, who were still on duty amid the COVID-19 threat. On her Facebook account, she showed the step by step process clearly, so other people can also do it on their own.

All you’ll need are acetate film, scissors, a hole puncher, double-sided tape, and foam.

In an interview with GMA News Online, Sharon said she tried to make the steps and materials simple so more people can do it at home. The artist said it was a project she was keen on making, "so I don’t feel so helpless or anxious during this time of quarantine." 

Besides, it would be a big help if people could make protective acetate masks for medical practitioners who are at the forefront of fighting against COVID-19, Sharon added.

If you're planning to do that — make acetate masks for medical workers — consider using thicker foam. The foam serves as a divider between the acetate and the person wearing it; the thicker it is, the further from their face it will be. It can feel more comfortable for longer wear.

Sharon clarified that it’s not an alternative for PPE, but it is an "extra layer of protection."

No acetate film? A friend of Sharon’s suggested water bottles can be an alternative. In any case, those in need of materials can join the Facebook group "Bahay Brigade vs. COVID-19" for people "who might need something from each other." 

Meanwhile, Sharon also posted a video tutorial on how people can make their DIY reusable masks using eco bags.

For this type of mask people need a reusable bag, ruler, double sided tape ,needle and thread, twist and tie, measuring tape, 2 pcs thick elastic thread or 1/4 garter, and scissors.

Sharon said people can also use other types of fabric that are more comfortable on the face such as stiff cotton.

"As a joke, I said i would make it out of reusable bags like the ones given to the Quezon City residents but you can also use stiff cotton fabric so it's more comfortable on your face," she wrote on Facebook.

Watch the video below.

After the government was criticized for failing to provide healthcare workers with PPE, the Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Rosario Vergeire explained that the lack of PPE supplies amid the COVID-19 pandemic is due to global shortage.

People have been responsive. Doctors and volunteers in Baguio have started making Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) alternative due to the shortage of supplies, while medical interns at Ateneo have been producing face shields for COVID-19 frontliners.

Some folks from Technological University of the Philippines - Visayas (TUPV) are planning to create PPEs for health workers in Negros with the use of a 3D printer, while the fashion industry have also started to mobilize.

As of Wednesday, the DOH confirmed 84 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the Philippines to 636. — LA, GMA News