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Tips for wearing a face mask in the heat

While temperatures are expected to be in the 90s Sunday, King County health officials say it's still important to wear a face mask to limit the spread of COVID-19.

SEATTLE — As more people step outside to beat the heat this weekend, health officials want to alert people to dealing with heat during the coronavirus pandemic.

"This is a different summer," Meredith Li-Vollmer from Public Health -- Seattle & King County said. "If you get too hot, we usually tell people to go to a place with air conditioning like a movie theater, or even a library or place like that but right now we can't do that."

"When you wear a mask it can get hot and uncomfortable and actually in some situations can contribute to overheating," she said.

She said people may have to get creative to keep cool while wearing a mask.

"If it gets too uncomfortable and too hot. Then take a step back, I suggest go outside, preferably in the shade. And when you're six feet away from people take that mask off, breathe, cool down a little bit, and then before you get back into that environment, put the mask back on for your protection," she said.

The statewide mask mandate means even when outside a mask is required when unable to social distance. 

RELATED: Heat warning issued for western Washington as temperatures expected to climb into the 90s Sunday

At Greenlake on Saturday Chaelin Hong said despite the heat, wearing a mask is important.

"Well, we're all kind of, not sucking it up, but it's all for the better good," Hong said.

Li-Vollmer said picking the right mask for the conditions is important too.

"We don't recommend those ones with the little vent holes, because it allows the droplets to come out, and you don't want ones with really thick fabric," she said, "just think about which ones are most comfortable for you."

She said officials are most concerned with large gatherings as coronavirus cases rise throughout the state.

"It's really tempting to have a big barbecue or something and have lots of people over but that's really what we're finding there's a lot of potential for transmission to happen that is really part of what is driving up the number of cases we're seeing," she said.

RELATED: Western Washington forecast

RELATED: Tips to protect your pets from the heat

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