This is the style of mask I’d recommend if you were wearing it for more than a few hours. There’s an elastic that goes around the back of your neck, but fabric ties at the top (and I’m glad that the thinner twill tape I ordered finally arrived; I think it works better and looks better than the thicker version I was using before).
The advantage is that if you untie it (to eat lunch or a snack or drink something), you can let it fall forward against your chest. The potentially-contaminated-by-others side touches your clothes. Then it’s easy to pull it back up by the ties and re-tie it behind your head, without your hands or mouth/nose touching that exterior side.
I hope I explained that clearly enough. The main point: it’s a lot harder to manage all that with ear elastics or head / neck elastic, so this style is likely to keep you safer if you need to wear it for a full shift. Especially if you are careful and train yourself not to touch the exterior of the mask once you leave your home.
