Table 2.

Summary of Guidance Recommendations for Filtering Face-Piece Respirators

Guidance	CDC	ECDC	PHEa	WHO
Extended use
Discarding	Soiled (blood, secretions, body fluids), if obvious damage or difficult to breathe through Discard after use in aerosol-generating procedure.	Soiled, wet, can no longer be properly fitted or difficult to breathe through Discard after use in aerosol-generating procedure	Moist, damaged, visibly soiled or difficult to breathe through	Wet, soiled, splashed, damaged or difficult to breathe through If displaced from face or touched
Maximum duration	Not specified (notes some studies up to 8 h), guided by hygienic/practical concerns	Time guided by hygienic/practical concernsb	Not specifiedc	Up to 6 h
Safe use	Hand hygiene if adjusted or touched Respirator can be covered with face shield (‘strongly preferred’) or surgical mask. Discard after leaving the cohorted area.	Respirator can be covered with a face shield or medical mask to extend use.	Hand hygiene if adjusted or touched Discard after leaving cohorted area unless transferring a patient.	Only continue within cohorted area. Discard after leaving.
Reused
Discarding	Soiled (blood, secretions, body fluids) If obvious damage or difficult to breathe through Discard after use in aerosol-generating procedure.	No information	Moist, damaged, visibly soiled or difficult to breathe through	Reuse without reprocessing strongly discouraged
Maximum uses	Up to 5 times unless manufacturer states otherwise		Not specified
Safe use	(a) Ensure safe storage and limit to named user (b) Follow 1 day of use with 4 day “quarantine” period in labelled breathable sealed container before reusee		Fold and store in labelled sealable bag between uses. Some models cannot be reused because they deform once donned.
Reprocessingd
Discarding	If integrity of any component (eg, straps, bridge) of the respirator is compromised, or if a successful user seal check cannot be performed.	Not specified	Currently no recommendations (but acknowledge work on validating methods in progress)	Check integrity and shape before reprocessing. Discard if damaged/not suitable for reuse.
Maximum duration or uses	Not specified	Not specified		“After a predefined number of uses”
Safe use	Not for use in aerosol-generating proceduresf	Quality checks of reprocessing necessary to ensure safety		After use, label and place in reprocessing container. Reprocessing performed by trained staff Return to original wearer after reprocessing.

Note. CDC, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; ECDC, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control; PHE, Public Health England; WHO, World Health Organization.

^aPHE guidelines on extended use and reuse do not clearly differentiate between surgical masks and filtering face-piece respirators

^b“… can be re-used for a limited time, unless there is a risk for contamination through the deposition of infectious particles on the surface.”

^cStates that filter capacity of FFP3/FFP2/N95 respirators greatly exceeds one day of use in healthcare or social care.

^dReused and reprocessed respirators are likely to be used for extended periods, in this case the extended use criteria also apply.

^eCurrently appears in decontamination guidelines as an alternative to decontamination but does not appear in the reuse guideline.

^fUnless manufacturer information indicates that decontamination does not affect performance.