Face shields not a good substitute for face masks, says Sudbury's health unit

Face shields may be easy to buy from Amazon or the dollar store, but Sudbury's health unit wants people to think twice before using them.

"They're certainly not a substitute, because they're open. The point of the cloth mask is to seal in your droplets," said Public Health Sudbury and Districts' Karly McGibbon, adding that those droplets are what carry the COVID-19 virus.

McGibbon says face shields are often used by medical workers, in addition to face masks. And face shields are sometimes used by people working with those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
But Health Canada says they should only use face shields in that situation if they do not have COVID-19 symptoms.

"A face shield is better than nothing, but it's not protecting your droplets from being transmitted," McGibbon said.

Those clear, plastic face shields are embraced by many as a means of protection, while still being able to communicate.

The director of audiology with Canadian Hearing Services says face shields help with lip reading and visual cues for those who are deaf or hearing impaired.

"Deaf people and hard of hearing people do rely on speech-reading to detect certain sounds, as well as other visual information," said Rex Banks.

"So when half of your face is blocked, it obstructs the visual cues in terms of different types of expressions and eye movements and so forth."

He adds that, if a person tests positive for COVID-19, they should be wearing a mask.

Banks says both face masks and face shields softens people's voices. And wearing a face covering of any kind is challenging people to hone their communication skills, while still keeping ourselves — and others — safe.

"So speak a little louder, speak a little more slowly, and really use good enunciation," he said.

As mask wearing becomes a part of many people's everyday lives, some are using transcription apps on their smart phones to help communicate with those who are hearing impaired or deaf.

Banks says he's used the technology quite a few times when he's talking behind a mask or face shield.

"It does a pretty good job at changing my speech to text. Using reading, along with your good communication strategies, will also be very beneficial."

Banks said, in general, people need to "give each other a little bit of a break" during this pandemic.

"People can feel anxious, especially if they have hearing loss, because they want to make sure that they're getting important information from their friends and their caregivers. So people could be feeling anxious if they're missing information. This could lead to some frustration. We certainly don't want people to withdraw from communication settings which could compound more isolation effects," he said.

"So I think just being cognizant that everyone should ... be respectful of the communication needs of all of us. It will be to the betterment of everyone, and I think that's that's good."