Protection against corona: More and more people are wearing visors in front of their faces instead of masks made of fabric. Öko-Test is now investigating whether the shields offer sufficient protection.
- Öko-Test * examines the protection of visors against masks made of fabric.
- The visors are thin discs made of plastic, which are intended to protect the wearer from a corona infection.
- That's what the Robert Koch Institute says about the sights.
Kassel - All federal states in Germany have now introduced a mask requirement in parts of public spaces in order to contain the corona crisis . In the meantime, more and more people are not wearing conventional masks made of fabric, but a visor when shopping or in public transport . In the test of eco-test these visors are put under the microscope.
A visor or " Face Shield " is a curved lens made of transparent plastic that covers the face from the chin to the forehead. At first glance, the visors are a practical alternative in everyday life. They are attached to the forehead with a rubber band.
Protection against corona: Visors in the test at Öko-Test
However, it is questionable whether they actually offer sufficient protection against corona . The advantages of masks at Öko-Test at a glance:
- The visor covers the whole face. In addition to the mouth and nose, the eyes are also protected, because Corona can also be transmitted through the conjunctiva of the eyes.
- It is easy to breathe under the visor.
- Communication is easier because the entire face can be seen.
- There are no pressure marks behind the ears and the glasses do not fog up.
- It is seldom touched in the face.
- The visors are easy to clean and can be used countless times.
However, Öko-Test explains that since the visors are open at the sides and at the bottom, they are not considered sufficient protection against corona . The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) also sees no replacement for masks made of fabric.
Corona: Visors in the test - that says Öko-Test
© Christoph Soeder / dpa
Corona: Visors in the test - Robert Koch Institute comments
"In our opinion, the use of visors cannot be regarded as an equivalent alternative to covering the mouth and nose." The reason for this is that the visors "catch the droplets that appear directly on the glass". This makes them unsuitable as external protection.
The virologist John Knobloch, head of the workspace Hospital Hygiene at the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, is also of this opinion. For self-protection, on the other hand, from his point of view, they can protect against corona just as well as a conventional mask made of fabric. "The visor is ideal to protect against the classic droplet infection," explains the virologist.
Corona: Visors in the test - does the Face Shield count as a mask?
If you only wear a visor without an additional mouthguard, you don't have to wear a mask in many federal states . This decision is up to the individual countries. According to the Hessian Ministry of Social Affairs and Integration, the visors are allowed in Hesse as protection against corona .
There are now a few companies that offer the protective shields. However, many products come from China and have a long delivery time and high shipping costs.
Corona: Visors in the test - make your own face shield
Öko-Test explains that a visor to protect against corona can be easily made yourself without much effort. There are numerous instructions for this on the Internet.
The result: Öko-Test advises to wear a conventional mask in addition to the visor. Then the mouth and nose are double protected, as well as the eyes. However, the hygiene and distance rules must still be observed during the Corona crisis .
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By Karolin Schaefer
* hna.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.
List of rubric lists: © Marius Becker / dpa