Covid expert’s warning over face shields
A coronavirus expert has warned face shields do not work on their own as pubs, shops and hairdressers reopen in England.
Prof Christina Pagel, a member of the Independent Sage group which scrutinises Covid-19 policy, said she is a “bit worried by how many staff wear a face shield instead of a mask – shields DO NOT work!”
On Monday, the latest easing of the lockdown saw thousands of retail units, gyms, outdoor attractions and community centres – as well as pubs and restaurants for outdoor service – reopen across the country.
Many staff and customers will be using face shields as part of this, with government advice stating they should only be worn if people are also wearing a mask.
It states: “A face visor or shield may be worn in addition to a face covering but not instead of one.
“This is because face visors or shields do not adequately cover the nose and mouth, and do not filter airborne particles.”
Prof Pagel called for this information to be “much more widely advertised” by the government.
Its advice on face shields is currently under the second sub-heading on guidance about wearing face coverings.
Face mask review
Monday's easing of the lockdown is the second of four stages, with the ultimate aim of lifting all restrictions on social contact on 21 June at the earliest.
However, it is still not known how long face masks will continue to be required, with the government having commissioned a review looking into this.
Watch: Hundreds queue for Primark as lockdown restrictions lift
One of the UK's leading Covid scientists has previously suggested that while masks are unlikely to remain a legal requirement, this measure could remain in place more out of people’s habits.
Prof Neil Ferguson, whose modelling convinced Boris Johnson to impose the first lockdown in March last year, told BBC Breakfast last month: “People have got used to being very cautious around each other, used to wearing masks.
“I think it’s quite possible that this pandemic, which has been an immensely traumatic event for this country and for the world, will cause significant long-term cultural changes, behavioural changes in the population.”
He said, for example, it is routine in south-east Asia for people to wear masks if they have a cold or any sort of respiratory disease.
Last year, Dr Pierre Chan, a leading medical doctor and lawmaker in Hong Kong, also told Yahoo News UK of face mask use there: “Because we had a very painful experience with SARS in 2003, most of our citizens are very alert about these things. Whenever there is something wrong, we prepare ourselves.”
