Sandy Lindal is among an army of Torontonians who received some validation this week from Canada’s chief public health officer that the cloth masks they have been making and donating were not all for naught.

Lindal, a member of the Etobicoke Quilters’ Guild who has personally made about 150 cotton-fabric masks to date, said she was relieved to hear that her handiwork and that of her fellow club members, was having a meaningful impact in the fight against COVID-19.

The guild has donated hundreds of masks to friends, family and hospitals in Toronto and Mississauga.

In the midst of a raging debate about the scientific soundness of cloth masks, the 61-year-old said it’s good to see some common sense prevailing.

“I know it’s not 100 per cent protection, but something is better than nothing,” she said. “It stops you from touching parts of your face and helps to protect other people too.”

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, added some credence to that point of view Monday, as she announced the government’s advice surrounding face coverings has changed to recommend wearing cloth face coverings, following new evidence of “pre-symptomatic transmission.

“In situations where physical distancing is difficult to maintain such as in public transit, or … a grocery store, a non-medical mask can reduce the chance of your respiratory droplets coming into contact with others, or landing on surfaces.”

While the masks may mitigate the spread of the virus, Tam stressed they are not a replacement for physical distancing, hand washing or good hygiene.

“Non-medical mask, even if you have no symptoms, is an additional measure that you can take to protect others around you,” Tam said.

Tam’s comment comes on the heels of weeks of mixed-messaging about whether or not masks, regardless of make, were effective shields from the highly infectious droplets blamed for the rapid spread of the virus, with many experts putting cloth masks at the bottom of the pile of masks best suited to guard against COVID-19.

With personal protective equipment (PPE) in short supply in many countries, including Canada, there is broad and powerful consensus among officials about the need to reserve medical-grade masks — including surgical masks and tight-fitting N95 respirators used in hospitals — for health-care workers on the front lines of the pandemic.

Unlike N95 masks, which contain a filter to protect the wearer, the growing #masks4all movement sees cloth masks as a means of protecting everyone else — a barrier, however imperfect, to catch infectious droplets from sneezes, coughs and exhalations. This position is gaining steam.

However, those on the other side of the debate argue there is no proof that cloth masks catch enough infectious droplets to make them worth the risk — the increased outdoor activity mask-wearers might take up if they feel safer.

Toronto’s Michael Garron Hospital is one of the facilities where medical staff not only endorsed the usefulness of cloth masks, but even before Tam’s about-face had taken it a step further by launching a public campaign (#MGH1000masks) calling for donations of 1,000 cloth masks per week. In a note on the campaign page, Dr. Jeff Powis, the hospital's director of infection prevention and control, said the donations were needed to offset the global shortage in supply.

“We want to see all east enders wearing a fabric mask when they need to be within six feet of other people, especially vulnerable populations and the elderly,” he stated.

Hospital officials said there is a need for about 2,000 fabric masks weekly in addition to PPE like face shields and N95 masks reserved for medical practitioners. The hospital is running a separate drive for those priority items.

The idea is to provide an option for people entering and leaving the hospital and those caring for vulnerable groups such as seniors in the community, said Meredith Ferguson, Michael Garron’s director of marketing and communications.

“In those cases, even a cloth mask is better than no masks to prevent the spread because you can be asymptomatic and still be shedding the virus,” said Ferguson.

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Considering that there has been conflicting messaging out there, it’s reassuring to see Tam adding some credence to the value of cloth masks, she said.

“We have an ongoing urgent need,” she said. “It’s been incredible to see the outpouring of support from the community and the way they have come together for this.”

The public drive launched a week ago has seen about 1,500 masks donated and that’s just the start. Groups like the Etobicoke Quilters’ Guild are beefing up their weekly donations and the hospital hit a bounty Monday when Century Home Fashions, part of the Fabricland Group of companies, announced that they have 100,000 cloth mask kits ready to be donated nationwide.

Another few hundred thousand kits can be made readily available, said Home Fashions’ president Ron Simpson. As an extra measure, they have been designing masks with a minimum of three layers of fabric.

“It’s not an N95 but it’s got to stop something,” he said.

With files from Rachel Mendleson

Jason Miller is a breaking news reporter based in Toronto. Reach him on email: jasonmiller@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @millermotionpic