Senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, says face shields can be “a good alternative for schools.”

Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, says a face shields can be “a good alternative for schools.” He said the CDC is primarily concerned with source control, or preventing spread from an infected person, which is why it advises against shields being replacement for the masks.

“(The CDC) isn’t worrying about the benefit to the wearer,” Dr. Adalja said. “They’re basing it on an idea of not looking at the face covering wholistically but looking at one aspect of it. Outside of a health care setting, a face shield is equivalent to how people effectively wear masks,” he added.

Face shields should be included as part of strategy in safely and securely reduce transmission in public setting. It prevents people of touching their face and reducing spreading pathogens.

There are many benefits to face shields according to Dr. Adalja. He argues they are much more likely to be worn correctly than face masks, which can slip below the nose and are removed more often. Face shields also provide eye protection that masks cannot.