COVID-19: Face Shields shouldn’t be used in place of Face Masks – GHS

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has admonished the public against the use of face shields in substitution of face masks amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

According to GHS, face shields are not to be used as replacements for face masks.

Rather, GHS advised that, in any circumstance where an individual wants to wear a face shield, it should be ‘on top of a face mask’. This is because face shields alone are ‘ineffective’ in preventing the spread of the disease.

Head of Surveillance at the GHS, Dr. Asiedu Bekoe who was sensitizing the public at a media briefing today [July 14, 2020] said, an individual can wear a face shield without the face mask, only when ‘lip reading’ is necessary for communication, as in the case of persons with hearing impairment.

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“You cannot cover the lips, and communicate with persons with hearing impairment. That is the only indication whereby you can say that, I am now going to use face shield [alone]

But, for the purpose of addressing the challenge of the COVID-19 infection, the first point of call is the face mask”

“If you want to wear a face shield, then it must be on top of a mask”

He has therefore urged the general public to use face masks as he claimed that is the surest way to prevent the spread of the virus.