After a long consideration regarding the ban of transparent masks, finally the results from a pilot study concerning their efficacy were released, supporting and confirming our doubts. Namely, scientists from Munich University of Applied Sciences have urgently advised against using clear masks, especially in closed rooms, such as schools, daycare centers, offices or public transport, as protection against aerosol-borne infections such as COVID-19, as they do not offer effective protection. The findings of the pilot study point that other people are directly exposed to the exhaled aerosol as the gap between mask and face is too wide and aerosols can easily escape.
The problem is that droplets and aerosols can escape from the open area as they would ‘bounce off’ the plastic material when sneezing/coughing, whereas while wearing the cloth masks they are kind of absorbed by the mask material and therefore trapped and cannot escape. This was the reason for banning face shields/visors in the first place.
Additionally, the Bavarian State Ministry of Health published new and updated requirements for mouth and nose covering on December 10, 2020 stating that even when the transparent masks are tightly fitted, they still do not provide suitable protection and therefore are forbidden for use, as they equal the visors or face shields.
Since transparent masks have already been banned in certain parts of Germany (they are already banned in schools in Cologne as they are classified as face shields in North Rhine-Westphalia), and this has been officialized by the Bavarian Ministry of Health, we want to take an extra precautionary measure (following the Cologne’s example) in order to protect our students by banning them to be used on campus as it is now officially proven that they are not safe.
Besides the legal ban affecting students, transparent masks are not allowed for employees either, according to the German labor protection law.
Sources
- https://www.hm.edu/allgemein/aktuelles/news/news_detailseite_203392.de.html
- https://www.br.de/nachrichten/wissen/pilotstudie-umstrittene-klarsichtmaske-bietet-keinen-schutz,SIZ0Tcp
- https://www.br.de/nachrichten/wissen/faktenfuchs-warum-klarsichtmasken-gegen-corona-umstritten-sind,SI6oCpp
- https://www.aerztezeitung.de/Nachrichten/Klarsichtmaske-schuetzt-nicht-vor-Infektionen-415429.html
Keti Ivanovska
Nurse
