With the mask, it is one of the most emblematic objects of the coronavirus pandemic. Sold in DIY stores or made using 3D printing, protective visors are most often used in a professional context, for example by people employed at the cash desks of stores.
These visors, which consist of a headband and a screen, protect the eyes, mouth and nose, potential entry points for the virus. Are they as effective as masks in preventing infection with SARS-CoV-2? For the National Research and Security Institute, the answer is clear. “Visors or face shields are not respiratory protection equipment, but eye and face protection equipment. […] They do not have the effectiveness of respiratory protection masks, ”writes the INRS on its website.
One of the major differences between the mask and the visor concerns the particles in suspension. The first allows you to protect yourself while the second would prove to be ineffective in this area. According to an experiment, the results of which were published last month by the New England Journal of Medicine, a single word generates droplets in the air that can remain in suspension for several minutes. They are "eminently capable of transmitting a disease in a confined space", conclude the researchers.
A job "only in addition to the mask"
On the other hand, the visors are perfectly capable of preventing the wearer from being contaminated by "large droplets emitted immediately after a cough by a person nearby and facing the screen", adds the INRS. In an opinion delivered on 13 May i, the High Council for Public Health thus recommends "not to use visors to replace masks for the general public" and "to consider their use only in addition to the wearing of a mask for the general public" .
Contacted on this subject by the Parisian a few weeks ago, the Directorate General of Health (DGS), also sees in visors "an additional means of protection against viruses transmitted by droplets", but having "not for vocation to replace masks for the general public ”.
An idea that Professor Anne Goffard intends to nuance. For this virologist at the Lille University Hospital and the Faculty of Pharmacy of the North Prefecture, doubling the wearing of the mask by that of a visor is not of much use for the general public. "Obviously, for those who work in the healthcare environment, it's completely different," she says.
In his view, the choice between wearing a mask and wearing a visor should also be guided by the nature of the professional activity. “For certain trades, it may be more comfortable to wear a visor. It is also necessary that the person is comfortable, especially if it is a question of carrying out movements which can be dangerous, for example cutting. "
Regular cleaning is necessary
More imposing with its screen in front of the eyes, the visor however has the advantage of not giving the impression of being hot and difficult to breathe, so many small inconveniences as the temperatures climb on this Ascension weekend . Another disadvantage in less compared to the mask, as the INRS agrees, they can "be removed while minimizing the risk of touching the face". Not to mention that it makes it easier to communicate with deaf and hard of hearing people.
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Visor or mask, neither of the two solutions is enough to completely stop the spread of the disease. The DGS recalls that this "does not exempt from a rigorous application of barrier gestures, hand hygiene and respect for social distancing".
To be effective over time, a visor must, like a cloth mask, be cleaned regularly - at least daily - on both sides of the screen. "Water and soap or a classic household product are very suitable for this," advises Anne Goffard. It is especially not obliged to use bleach which, in addition to the fumes, can damage certain plastic supports. "