Can we wear helmets instead of face masks?

Proven content

For the first time, the order to cover the nose and mouth when leaving the house was introduced on April 16, 2020. Since then, the regulations regarding epidemic restrictions have been changed several times. From October 10, cover your mouth and nose again when you leave the house. This obligation does not mean that we must wear protective masks. The face can be covered with a scarf, neckerchief or any other element of the outfit. However, can we replace the protective mask with a visor?

Who is required to cover the mouth and nose?

In accordance with the ordinance of October 9, 2020, it is valid until further notice an order to cover the mouth and nose masks, masks, visors, protective helmets, clothing or its part applies to:

1. persons on public transport vehicles (e.g. buses or trams), domestic passenger ships and inland waterway vessels;
2. people in cars, if they travel with people with whom they do not live, e.g. colleagues from work, neighbors, etc .;
3. people walking on streets, squares, boulevards, promenades, markets;
4. people in shops, commercial or service facilities;
5. workplaces and public buildings, e.g. related to culture, education, religious worship, gastronomy and other services or public administration; the order also applies to social and office buildings;
6. people working in public buildings, such as an office or university;
7. people at service points;
8. persons on board aircraft;
9. religious worship, as well as people staying in cemeteries and public buildings intended for the purposes of religious worship.

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Who is exempt from covering their mouth and nose?

Covering the face does not need to:

1. children up to the age of 5;
2. people who cannot cover their mouth and nose due to mental disorders, pervasive developmental disorders, as well as moderate, severe or severe intellectual disability;
3. people unable to put on or take off the masks on their own due to their health condition;
4. people driving a car and living together;
5. people driving alone in a car with at least one child up to 5 years old;
6. people staying in forests, parks, botanical or historic gardens, green areas, allotment gardens or on the beach;
7. employees who are not in contact with other people during their work (they have no contact with customers, prospects or other external persons);
8. public transport drivers or private carriers that are adequately shielded from passengers;
9. persons permanently residing in public buildings for educational purposes or for social, health or social care;
10. clergymen who perform religious ceremonies;
11. farmers at work on the farm;
12. soldiers and officers on duty;
13. horse riders;
14. flight personnel in the cockpit;
15. coaches, referees and sports people;
16. pupils and children covered by pre-school education and persons employed in educational institutions, unless the head of the institution decides otherwise;
17. persons contracting a marriage before a clergyman or head of the registry office.

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What can cover the mouth and nose?

The face can be covered not only with a protective mask. You can use a scarf, visor, handkerchief or scarves for protection. The material from which the mask is made, for example, is important. It should be:

1. Cotton;
2. cotton with an admixture of elastane;
3. cotton with linen;
4. only;
5. polyester;
6. viscose mixed with polyester;
7. polyamide with polyester;
8. life

Can I wear a visor instead of a face mask?

Although the visor is an important component protection against coronavirus infection, recent research suggests that they are only effective when used together with masks. The advantage of using a helmet that covers the entire face is to protect the eyes, through which the coronavirus can also enter the body.

Scientists note, however, that the visor only protects against larger drops from the respiratory tract of an infected person. Due to indications that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus may be spread by air. Such transmission means that aerosols exhaled by an infected person pose a threat to bystanders. In the case of the helmet, small aerosol particles easily penetrate the sides of the helmet, even as far as 0,9 meters, and some of them also move to the rear.

The research therefore shows that wearing a helmet alone does not provide sufficient protection against the coronavirus. It is recommended to combine this type of visor with a mask, as well as choosing full-face helmets that extend below the chin line and also cover the sides.

The mask is supposed to provide protection against the spread of the coronavirus by people passing the infection asymptomatically. Such people may spread the disease unknowingly, therefore the obligation to cover the mouth and nose has been introduced.

The helmet is especially recommended for working people, such as a saleswoman and cashier in a shop, who, due to their profession, are highly exposed to coronavirus infection. However, their workplace should also be separated from the customers by an additional protective screen. Such persons should wear a helmet, but also preferably in combination with a face mask and gloves.

The visor is an important element of the outfit of people working in the health service. The purpose of the helmet is to protect against particles coronavirus in saliva or a pair of sick mouths. However, it should be sealed with a suitable sponge or cap.

Do you need protective masks? You can buy them on Medonet Market. Sanity 3-layer protective masks are a way to protect against bacteria and viruses transmitted by airborne droplets.

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