Face Protection Options For The New Normal: Shields or Masks?
The world has become a changing place and times like these make people look for ways to protect their families. One way is by wearing a mask when venturing out of the house. The mask is geared to protect you from coronavirus germs but is not something most of us are used to wearing. It makes it hard for everyone from those who pick up essentials with changing regulations to the employee going back to work for an eight-hour day.
Face Shields are an alternative way to protect you and your loved ones in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. In comparison to cloth masks, face shields offer many benefits. According to the article published by Business Insider (Brueck, 2020) shields are superior to masks in terms of protection for the individual and ease of use.
CDC guidelines point out the virus is contracted through close proximity contact and respiratory droplets. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2020)
Recommendations for wearing the PPE (personal protection equipment) are to prevent the spread of the virus by wearing a cloth mask or face shield. However, face masks come with their own problems as well and have come as a mixed reaction.
Many people that wear glasses are experiencing issues with them fogging up while wearing a mask. As people are returning to workspaces, the requirements to wear a mask bring discomfort as well as claustrophobic feelings from wearing this eight hours a day.
Cloth masks may be beneficial but they also have challenges. They can still be uncomfortable and need to be washed on a daily basis. No one wants to run a load in the washing machine for just one mask. This then presents a potential problem for numerous disposable masks that end up in landfills or get littered on the street.
In addition, when people adjust the mask throughout the day as it shifts positioning, they are defeating its purpose by touching their face.
Face shields are considered Personal Protection Equipment. They prevent more droplets from coming in contact with others. Previous studies have shown that it can prevent up to 96% of respiratory droplets (Brueck, 2020). They are easier to clean and more comfortable when worn for long-term use. This makes face shields a great alternative to the cloth mask.
