Windsor & Maidenhead's health lead highlights concerns around face visors

Councillor Stuart Carroll (Conservative: Boyn Hill), lead member for adult social care, children’s services, health, and mental health, has urged residents to wear face masks instead of only visors or shields to ‘adequately’ cover their nose and mouth.

Speaking to the Observer, Cllr Carroll, who is also an epidemiologist and on the UK’s vaccines task force, said: “We need to get this very clear message over that masks are an essential part of our public health response to dealing with this virus.

“The guidance is unequivocal that you can’t wear a visor alone.

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“If you have no [clinical] exemptions, you can’t just wear a visor or a shield and the reason for that is a face visor or a shield – although it can be worn in addition to a face mask and face-covering – it can’t be worn instead of one and that’s because face visors and shields don’t adequately cover the nose or the mouth – which is vital.”

The Government made wearing face masks in shops mandatory last July to increase ‘confidence’ in shoppers amid evidence stating it reduces the spread of the coronavirus in line with other measures such as social distancing and washing hands frequently.

An infographic by Birmingham Health Partners

Cllr Carroll said: “The evidence is very strong that wearing a face mask does help to stop the spread of the virus and does help stop transmission and quite significantly so.

“That is, of course, to be expected as coronavirus is a respiratory infectious disease primarily and it does, as we know, affect the respiratory system and infectious diseases of this kind do transmit principally through the nose and the mouth.

“It is absolutely imperative that people when they are going out for essential activity do wear a face mask in line with the guidance.”

He also urged everyone to obtain multiple masks for use and wash their masks after use either scrubbing them thoroughly in hot water with soap for at least 30 seconds or through the washing machine – which Cllr Carroll said is the best method for cleaning a mask.

Throughout the pandemic, anti-maskers, through social media or public protests, have been vehemently opposing the science of face masks, spreading misinformation on their effectiveness.

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Cllr Carroll said it’s “extremely dangerous and irresponsible” for people to spread mistruths not based on any scientific evidence or facts.

He said: “The evidence, the science, the truth, the facts show that wearing a face mask or a face covering that covers the nose and mouth does reduce transmission and does protect people.

“Anything that contributes to the curtailing of this very sinister and serious virus is a positive thing and for people to suggest that it’s somehow unfavourable, ineffective, or not needed is incredibly dangerous.

“I think people have to keep thinking about this in the context through the prism of what’s happening to our NHS at the moment.

“We have a lot of people in hospital, in ICU beds who are seriously ill and, sadly, in many, many cases won’t make it and will die.”