In addition to face masks, the use of face shields has become mandatory while using transportation in Peru.
By land, sea, and sky. The Ministry of Transport and Communications in Peru has created new protocols that include the use of face shields from this month in all means of transportation, especially during the use of urban buses in cities. Currently, the government’s measure is in a «White March» state, which means that the measure is lenient to people who fail to abide by the new rules. In the future fines will be applied to people who don’t use them inside public transportation.
The «face shield» is a clear plastic face cover that is part of the PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). The type that is being recommended is the one commonly used in clinical applications or for health personnel working within hospitals, clinics, or health facilities. This equipment does not replace the face mask and it is recommended to use both at the same time for the duration of the pandemic.
Types
There are currently two types, those with fixed screens, which are used during medical applications, and those with mobile screens, which are the ones being offered for sale to the general public. Its size should cover the length and width of the face to below the chin.
Use
As maintained by the WHO and the Peruvian Ministry of Health, the face shield must be checked before use for cracks or dentures. The next step is to wash your hands before putting it on. When you’re done using it, the equipment should be removed first from back to front while your eyes are closed, avoiding it doesn’t touch your face, and finally being taken for disinfection. When everything is removed, you must wash your hands again.
Effectiveness
According to JAMA network, the Journal of the American Medical Association, one of its advantages is that it potentially reduces autoinoculation, protecting people from touching their faces, especially the eyes, which it is a route of entry for the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Another reason is that it reduces total cough drop exposure by 96%, according to a study by William G Lindsley et al. made in 2014 with a cough simulator. Similarly, this finding coincides with a joint investigation of the universities of New South Wales in Australia and Leipzig in Germany, where it was found that the transmission of COVID-19 is reduced by 90% with the use of face shields, in addition to the use of the mask.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention insists that the face shield is not a substitute for the face mask and recommended that they should be used together, as well as remembering frequent hand washing.