Plastic face shields have been used in the health care setting for many years, but are they more effective to protect you against airborne infection than a disposable face mask. The simple answer is NO - 3ply disposable face masks provide superior protection against harmful airborne droplets.
In the medical setting the plastic clear face shields are typically used to protect to protect a healthcare professional against droplets from splashing up into their eyes or hitting their face. This is very helpful to protect against direct contact in a very close environment, but the face shield is open all around and isn't sealed tight to the face so the likely hood on contracting the virus from airborne disease actually becomes quite high. Whereas a Disposable Face mask won't protect your eyes it does provide the best form of respiratory protection against airborne droplets. A tight seal around your nose and mouth will protect you from any harmful elements in the air.
According to the CDC, "At this time, it is not know what level of protection a face shield provides to people nearby from the spray of respirator droplets from the wearer. There is currently not enough evidence to support the effectiveness of face shields from source control. Therefore the CDC does not currently recommend use of a face shield as a substitute for a face mask.
Another important point from James Cherry, M.D., a research professor and infectious disease expert at UCLA says while experts aren't yet sure about how vulnerable our eyes are to infection from this coronavirus, "With many viruses, the eyes are important." He points to measles and adenoviruses as an example of viruses that are know to infect people through their eyes. The best scenario in a high impact environment is to wear a face shield and disposable face mask or we now offer an attachment to your facemask that will shield and protect your face.
Just to confirm when you are out and about in a public place their is no need to wear a face shield, but it is always recommended to wear a face mask at all times. If you want to wear a face shield as well for extra protection there will be no one stopping you for being extra protective! Always remember to social distance and wash your hands to protect yourself. Another point to add is that just because you have any face mask on doesn't mean you are protected, it is very important to make sure you have a disposable facemask on that is tested and rated with an ASTM rating so you can be assured your are 100% protected. We offer full testing reports with every order that ships out of our manufacturing plant here in the USA, with an Altor 3ply Face Mask you will not only be protected but you will find the American made material to be quite comfortable.