Sat 25 July 2020:
A health department in Switzerland is now warning against wearing plastic face shields without a mask after a coronavirus outbreak where only those wearing plastic visors were infected, the Swiss government has said plastic shields are inadequate protection and should only be worn in combination with a face mask.
Health officials in the canton of Graübunden studying a recent outbreak among staff at a hotel found a worrying trend – all of those who were infected wore plastic face shields, while those who avoided infection wore face masks.
Several employees of the hotel tested positive along with a guest.
Rudolf Leuthold, head of the cantonal health department in Graübunden, said the face shields were the common denominator in infections.
“It has been shown that only those employees who had plastic visors were infected. There was not a single infection among employees with a mask.”
Leuthold told Swiss news outlet 20 Minutes that a guest of the hotel was also infected: “We know that the guest was served by employees with plastic visors.”
Government warns against plastic face shields
On Tuesday, the cantonal health authorities in Graübunden spoke out against plastic face shields.
Cantonal doctor Marina Jamnicki said not only are plastic face shields less effective than face masks, they may provide wearers with a false sense of security.
Plastic face shields should be worn in tandem with a face mask, say cantonal authorities.
The Federal Office of Public Health agreed on Wednesday, pointing to increased infections among those who wear face shields.
Spokesman Yann Hulmann told 20 Minutes “the visors do not serve as an alternative to hygiene masks. Visors can be worn with masks to further enhance your own protection.”
The federal government is considering amending the rules for hospitality workers to require masks, although an announcement will only be made pursuant to a review.
WHO and other authorities advised
Previously, the WHO has stated that face shields can help prevent the virus, but only in combination with other safety measures such as wearing a mask, social distancing, and frequent hand-washing — no single preventative measure is enough to fully protect against the virus alone.
Some have suggested that face shields could provide advantages, such as being easier to sanitize than a mask, covering the entire face, and being able to express yourself through it. However, more research is needed to determine the effectiveness of a shield against the virus, including when compared to masks and other forms of protection.
And people who have symptoms of the coronavirus should still isolate away from other people until their symptoms clear up, waiting at least 10 days since they first began to feel ill, according to the CDC.
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