Every day, Le Parisien is mobilized to answer your questions around the coronavirus. Today we are interested in the questioning of Marie-Andrée, who asks us whether protective visors are effective in protecting themselves.
More and more people are equipping themselves with such plastic visors, while waiting for masks for the general public. Do they protect well against the Covid-19? The answer could be summed up as "effective, but not sufficient".
First of all, "these screens protect the whole face and have the advantage of being able to be removed while minimizing the risk of touching the face", agrees on its website the National Institute for Research and Security (INRS). But, if such visors "can protect the wearers from the large droplets emitted immediately after a cough by a person nearby and facing the screen, [they] do not protect particles remaining in suspension", underlines the organization .
Thus, they "do not have the effectiveness of respiratory protection masks" and should not be used alone by professionals on the front lines, such as caregivers.
Not intended to replace masks
Contacted by the Parisian, the Directorate General of Health (DGS) judges that visors are "an additional means of protection against viruses transmitted by droplets" but that they "are not intended to replace masks for the General public ". These masks, which can now be sold in pharmacies, will be available to every French person on May 11, Emmanuel Macron promised during his speech on April 13.
Whatever face protection used (mask or visor), the DGS also recalls that this "does not exempt from a rigorous application of barrier gestures, hand hygiene and respect for social distancing".
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VIDEO. He makes protective visors for caregivers with a 3D printer
You can ask us all your questions about coronavirus by filling out our form or directly at coronavirus@leparisien.fr. Find all the answers previously published on our dedicated page.