TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Many people choose the face shield to replace face mask which is considered uncomfortable, hot, and makes breathing difficult. However, this face shield is never intended to be used alone, but must be in conjunction with a mask to prevent the spread of airborne viral infections.
This is why hospital staff and people in high-risk areas are affected COVID-19 wearing a mask and face shield simultaneously.
Face shield usually a clear, rigid or semi-rigid plastic sheet that curves around your face but doesn’t stick to the side of the skin on your cheeks or under your mouth.
This tool is used to protect the wearer from splashes of body fluids that can hit their eyes and face.
On the other hand, masks, if worn properly cover around the nose, cheeks and chin to keep airborne droplets in and prevent external droplets from being inhaled.
Researchers from the Florida Atlantic University College of Engineering and Computer Science conducted an experiment to see how droplets work when a person sneezes or coughs while wearing face shield without a mask. Will the face shield protect the people around them? The answer is no.
According to researchers, face shield stop the splash of droplets after sneezing or coughing and the droplets then travel across the barrier and spread to the sides and bottom, entering the surrounding environment.
Although the mask can filter out respiratory droplets when you inhale, the open space around the face shield allows the flow of possibly contaminated air under the shield to be inhaled.
The researchers looked at valve masks that the manufacturer said were more comfortable to breathe and just as safe as regular masks. This is not the same as the official N-95 mask, which is specially designed for optimal safety.
They found that masked valves did not filter out any viruses. So every time you breathe, if you get hit virus, the virus was sent outside the mask, into the open.
“Our observations suggest that to minimize the spread of COVID-19 in the community, it may be better to use high-quality cloths or surgical masks that have a plain design, rather than face shields and masks equipped with breath valves,” the researchers said as reported by Medical Daily, Thursday. , 3 September 2020.
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