Following an outbreak of the coronavirus in a Swiss hotel last week in which only staff members who wore face shields rather than face masks were infected, the Swiss government has stated that plastic shields do not adequately protect against the coronavirus, The Local reported.

One guest and several employees were found positive for the coronavirus in a hotel in the canton of Graubünden. Health officials realized that all the employees who wore standard face masks escaped infection, with only the employees who wore plastic face shields testing positive.

“It has been shown that only those employees who had plastic visors were infected,” said Rudolf Leuthold, head of the cantonal health department in Graubünden. “There was not a single infection among employees with a mask.”

It was confirmed that the hotel guest that tested positive was served by employees wearing plastic visors.

The cantonal health authorities in Graubünden subsequently warned against the use of plastic face shields, with the cantonal doctor, Dr. Marina Jamnicki, saying that not only are plastic face shields ineffective in protecting against the spread of the  coronavirus but they also provide a sense of false security to those who wear them.

Switzerland’s Office of Public Health noted that there have been increased infections among those who wear plastic face shields and the shields should only be worn together with a face mask.

“They protect the eyes from possible infection through droplets, but the possibility of infection via the nose or mouth cannot be excluded,” Daniel Dauwalder, spokesperson for the Federal Office of Public Health, told The Local.

“Visors only serve as a complementary form of protection measure in conjunction with a mask,” he concluded.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)