On March 29th I wrote a diary promoting the use of face masks. Less than a week later, the CDC reluctantly advised their use. The WHO is still not enthusiastic. My original reasoning for masks was because in Asia they wear them to the point of it being a legal requirement. In Asia, they don’t have the explosion we do and in Europe. The main reason is that face masks shorten how far infected breath or talking can go. I would guess from up to 6 ft unprotected (the personal distance recommendation) to 2-3 ft with masks. This definitely limits the transmission of viruses.
Masks offer very little protection from inhaling viruses if any at all. They don’t cover the eyes. There are medical respirator N-95s that are in short supply and not generally available to the public that are effective. There are other N-95s that are of limited value.
Under the reader comments, “Azubia” called my attention to face shields. After studying face shields, I was stunned to find how much better they are than masks.
Face masks are of dubious value. Clear plastic face shields are a great way to block spreading Covid-19 and prevent getting it. Face shields should have been a main part of our front line of defense against Covid-19. There have been so many mistakes. Face shields are difficult to buy with long delivery times, but very easy to make. They can even be made from recycled clear plastic. The one in the above picture is the bottom of a salad greens container with a shoelace going around the ears. There is so much more to this I don’t think I could figure out how to post it all here.
Visit my new web site for this. It contains much analysis and 3 videos on how to easily make face shields to protect you and your loved ones. Click here to visit the new Make Face Shields now web site.