Which one did you order? Those look a lot better than some of the face shields that I have seen people wear that barely cover the mouth, and look like they don't contain droplets well.

I got the one that hangs on the neck.

ZShield Flex

If I were to order again, I think I'd get the 1st one, ZShield Wrap the one that curves more around the face.

I've seen some flimsy ones and as you said, short, this one is tall and definitely not flimsy!

I can see a doctor wearing a shield along with a mask for ultimate protection from all types of diseases and splattering bodily fluids, but I don't see how a shield alone protects the user or those near that person?

Doesn't make any sense when they have shown the simulations of the droplets traveling in a room, specially one with air movement due to HVAC. Stuff in the air is moving in and out of that face shield.

You could just buy a large clear umbrella, hold it in front of you and call in a body shield? To me it seems like the face shields, worn alone, are just a placebo.

I bought some shields to wear with my mask. I haven't received them yet. I thought it would offer more protection than the mask alone because it would cover my eyes.

The ones that hang from the top make more sense to me, too, and you can eat in them :P

We are advised to use a cloth "drape" between the bottom of the shield and the neck to seal them off.

Not sure how the neck-mounted ones work. They should be much better than nothing I think...just don't turn your head and cough. As a short person, I prefer protection from above, though!

A mask and a face shield are two separate items, and do different things. A face shield protects against splatter, and the mask protects against aerosol droplets. One cannot be substituted for the other. A mask is essential, adding a face shield is important if you work in an environment where spray could be an issue ( like me, as a dentist).

What jb1586 just said. I follow a lot of the aerosol scientists on social media, and yes, you need both a face shield and a mask. And maybe goggles. A face shield will block large droplets only but smaller aerosols can get underneath. So, it is not a substitute for a mask.

My dentist was telling me the face shields are not in short supply because they can be easily 3-D printed, but they were still having difficulty with the N95 masks. This was last month when I had my crown.

I have a shield I use when walking instead of a mask. I use a mask inside but I have been trying to get our school to consider shields for the kids. There is limited science but what there is is promising.

Cloth masks we are using are not filtering aerosols only a n95 will. We wear masks to hinder cough and sneeze and talking droplets from hitting others in the face a shield will stop this just aswell upclose. Both masks and shields become less effective beyond six feet by study.

I’m pretty sure my husband infected me since I go nowhere. There have since been several people he works with testing positive. They all wear masks “always” and gloves. I do not think masks alone offer protection. My husband says he remembers no one coughing. So how did he get it? I asked and he said the only thing he can think of is that he caught himself adjusting the mask a few times. We always try to be careful though. After my health is cleared I need to do a huge restock at the grocery store and think I’ll order some of the shields Pudgeder mentioned and team it with a mask. My masks have a spot for a filter but husband do not. That could be the problem.

If it is indeed spread via aerosol, the hvac study was from April and it's authors had other senerios that they admit might have spread the droplets rather than aerosol, cloth masks are less than five present able to filter areosol particles and just as ineffective as a mask. Homemade cloth wearing only works if this is mostly droplet based. The spread rate indicates it is mostly wet droplet spread so many people would be infect if it were small aerosol particles.

Paper by John Hopkins opining that shields are more protective to the wearer than a mask, but less protective to others. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2765525

Im hoping shields are okayed before school starts in sept. I don’t mind wearing a mask for shopping, but I’ve noticed that trying to wear one while doing any amount of talking beyond chit chat, is really difficult.

I watched something on local news about how effective cloth masks are or aren’t. Big variation depending on what the fabric is and if doesn’t fit tight to the face the benefit is much less. Interestingly a layer of tightly woven cotton and a layer of silk was among the best and that’s what the Johnny Was masks are. I see a lot of loose fitting and below the nose mask wearers out and about. I wear a cloth mask but still prefer to just keep my distance which I can usually do except at the dentist and eye doctor.

I would love it if shields were effective and I think it would be wonderful for kids in schools. I find it nearly impossible to not be constantly touching and adjusting a mask. I just don't see how masks could work in schools. I can't imagine kids wearing a mask for 6 hours.

I should have stated that I'll use this when

1. I'm alone in my area and need to remove the mask for a "breather."

2. In conjunction with the mask.

This is just MY OPINION HERE:

Our U and all of the others are doing everything they can to social distance in the classrooms, but there is no way they can control what the students do either on or off campus.

I don't see how classes will be held in person for long. It'll only take
one student to test positive and the process will cave in like a house of cards. And we'll be right back to virtual classrooms.

pudgeder, it is heavy on your neck? I'm very interested in getting one to try. I really like the looks of the Zshieldwrap, but it looks like if you breathe it will fog up more, vs the one you got.

Rory, I'm with you on students wearing them that long.

As far as masks go, the most comfortable ones I have used so far, I bought at my private, family-owned pharmacy-they are white and made of cotton, tshirt material.

No, it's not heavy. I wore it around the house last night. (without a mask) Hubs thought I was crazy. LOL It didn't fog up.

Thanks pudge!

I finally went to get my hair cut recently and my hair stylist wore a mask and a face shield.

LOL and now we know kids CAN and DO wear masks 6+ hours a day. They work. Shields not so much. This thread only four months old really emphasizes we are living in the middle of history. There is much we just do not know about this virus. There was a mask comparison a few months ago that clearly stated shields/gators/bandannas are not good protection. It SHOCKS me when I see people still wearing them. SIGH.

Arcy, why are you so mean. :( It hurts my heart.

It’s the starting every comment with LOL that really sets me off. But it is true that we are learning more and updating recommendations all the time. The uncertainty is a bad thing.

Most of us are good people and doing the best we know how. It's such a hard time. We all have a bad day now and then too. But consistently mocking people - good people doing the best they can! - is just too much. All the time. Never any compassion, just pure brashness.

I know Arcy can be a bit of a covidapologist at times, but she's right on this: kids have been showing that they can wear masks a lot better than we had expected. And people are still wearing gators and bandanas and other mask substitutes that have been shown to not work so well.

It’s just hard to get past the mockery and the shouting. I try not to mock those who don't wear masks. Mockery and shooting are a good way to ensure people don't hear the message.

kids have been showing that they can wear masks a lot better than we had expected.

Yes, in fact I see small children who are better able to wear masks than their parents.