A lot of us here in the Bay, when the mask mandate was put in effect, already had masks on hand because of the fires.
If you’re wearing a mask you purchased to protect you from breathing in smoke and ash, it may not be one that stops the spread of the coronavirus. Check your mask- does it have a valve that looks like a raised plastic disk about the size of a quarter on the front? If yes, you need to get a new type of face covering! These masks were designed to keep particles from reaching our airways, but not designed to protect the world from our exhalations, potentially spreading the coronavirus, so this type of mask is not allowed in the Bay Area right now.
If you’re saying to yourself right now, “Martha Quinn, I don’t think that’s true,” you’re just like my husband Jordan! That’s exactly what he said, but it IS true I swear! Right here on SF.Gov under “What not to use: Masks that have a one-way valve.”
You can put tape over the valve you’d probably get away with that, see the below tutorial on our website, or make an easy no-sew bandana face mask like I did with my Van Halen bandana!