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As the number of confirmed cases in the county reached 108 Monday, Kenosha County Health Director Jen Freiheit issued a statement saying she is encouraging the public to follow a recent federal recommendation to wear a cloth face covering in public settings like grocery stores where social distancing measures are hard to maintain.

“Does this mean you should wear a mask whenever you leave your house to take a walk around the block? No,” Freiheit said.

But she said the masks are recommended for places like grocery stores or pharmacies where you will have contact with other members of the public.

The Centers for Disease Control put out a statement three days ago stating that the use of cloth face coverings could help slow the spread of the virus. Earlier statements from federal authorities had recommended against widespread use of face masks.

The recent CDC recommendation stated that wearing a mask is especially important in areas where there has been community spread of the virus, which has been the case in Kenosha County.

While the masks may not protect wearers from contracting the illness, they could, in combination with social distancing, help prevent the spread of the virus from people who are asymptomatic.

Freiheit said the masks could help prevent people who are unknowingly infected from spreading the virus. “It’s another tool in our toolbox to further prevent the spread,” she said.

“Wearing a cloth face covering when you go out for essential errands is yet another tool we can deploy to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in our community, although self-quarantine, social distancing and handwashing are still our best tools,” Freiheit said in a formal statement. “It is important that these masks be worn to cover both the nose and mouth.”

The CDC is calling on people to use homemade cloth masks rather than surgical masks or N-95 masks, stating that those should be preserved for health care workers and first responders.

Freiheit said people should follow CDC guidelines to make the most effective homemade masks.

“Scarves and bandanas are not thick enough,” she said.

She said CDC instructions go into detail on the type of material that should be used and how thick the mask should be. People who do not know how to sew or don’t have a sewing machine shouldn’t feel intimidated, she said.

“They have things on how to do one with just folding cloth and rubber bands,” Freiheit said.

The county recorded its first death from the virus over the weekend, an 85-year-old Kenosha man. Statewide, there have been 2,440 confirmed cases, with 27 percent of those having to be hospitalized. Seventy-seven people in the state have died. The national death toll climbed above 10,000.

The CDC has more information about this recommendation – including instructions to make your own masks at home – at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-gettingsick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html