In a video recently released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a military doctor shows citizens how to make a fabric mask at home, from old T-shirts or other pieces of fabric, within 45 seconds.

Dr Jerome Adams – with the rank of Surgeon General – demonstrates how we fold the piece of fabric while using two simple rubber bands to make the loops for the ears.

The purpose of the video is to encourage Americans to wear “non-medical, fabric masks” to help prevent further spread of the corona but not to deprive professional medical nurses and members of emergency medical teams of surgical masks.

“The CDC further advises the use of simple facial tissue covers to slow the spread of the virus and help those who may have been infected with the virus and are unaware that it has not been transmitted to others,” the CDC said in a statement. “Fabric face covers, made from household items or made at home from ordinary low-cost materials, can be used as an additional, voluntary measure of public health,” the CDC continues.

Recommended masks are not surgical masks or N95 respirators, Dr Jerome Adams explained. “These are critical materials that must continue to be reserved exclusively for professional medical nurses and members of emergency medical care teams,” he said.