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It is very understandable: anyone who has to do with people all day and wants to protect them from Covid-19 would rather wear a visor than protection for the mouth and nose. However, this is not very effective, as several studies have shown. The aerosols, that is, small droplets that can carry the virus, are barely stopped by a plastic visor.
The Ministry of Health has now reacted: According to the Covid-19 Regulation, any protection device that covers the area of the mouth and nose is allowed. “However, based on new scientific findings, we recommend wearing a tight-fitting mouth and nose guard rather than a visor or chin guard,” says the ministry’s website. Visors are not planned to be banned, as a spokesperson emphasized to orf.at.
Mask, but correct
It is best to have a mouth and nose mask properly placed over the mouth, nose, and cheeks. This also needs to be as close to the edges as possible “to minimize air flow through the sides.” In this way, the “rate of respiratory flow or the expulsion of saliva / mucus droplets” can be reduced. It is different with visors. At most, they capture the drops that appear directly on the panel.
Japanese study
There were questions about the protection of the scopes recently after simulations of the world’s fastest supercomputer, Fugaku, in Japan. Result: Almost 100 per cent of the aerosols, that is, drops of less than five micrometers, escape from the usual plastic visors. The researchers also found that masks made from non-woven fabric are more effective than those made from cotton or polyester.
Just a few weeks ago, American scientists used lasers to show how ineffective face shields and protective masks with valves are against the spread of the coronavirus.
