Everywhere in Austria, where the use of a mask is required, the so-called visors, or plastic face shields, will no longer be considered protection. The government intends to ban them, according to information obtained by the Austrian daily “Kurier”.
Helmets will be banned in Austria?
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The protective effect of the helmet on the face has been questioned for a long time: how can the curved plastic plate that is open at the sides, top and bottom hold back the droplets? Now the Austrian government wants to ban them – writes “Kurier”.
This is due to the draft of the new coronavirus regulation, which should enter into force on Friday.
In the text of the act, which journalists reached, in the places where it is mentioned covering the mouth and nose, the words “and closely fitting” were added to the term “covering”. And this probably only applies to the classic mask – writes “Kurier”.
The explanations stated that the helmets “do not have an aerosol-inhibiting effect comparable to classic masks.” ‘Mechanical protective devices such as’ visors ‘or (even more so)’ mini face helmets ‘have therefore proved to be inadequate for preventing the spread of COVID-19 and are therefore now banned,’ he added.
In September, a US study found that the helmets provided the least protection against infection. During a simulation by the scientists, it became clear that while the shield was blocking the forward movement of the droplets when coughing and sneezing, they spread around the droplets.
On Monday, when the government announced new measures to combat the coronavirus, it did not ban the use of helmets, but only new restrictions on events and private gatherings.
In Austria, 2,435 new coronavirus infections were recorded in the last 24 hours, the highest number since the start of the pandemic in the country.
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