Most recently, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said there was a need to practise double-masking and wear face shields to significantly reduce transmission of Covid-19.
FMT takes a closer look at how effective it is against the Covid-19 virus and what medical experts have to say about it.
Better protection
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says double-masking, which is the use of a fabric mask over a surgical mask, combined with the use of a face shield offers greater protection as opposed to only wearing a cloth mask or a three-ply surgical mask.
Double-masking is not required if a person wears a N95 mask which filters out at least 95% of airborne particles.
Double-masking and face shields can protect users from respiratory droplets which spread Covid-19 and its dangerous variants.
Face shields provide an outer protective layer against droplets and foreign particles, while double-masking eliminates any gaps or poor-fitting areas of the mask.
“Adding a second mask can improve mask fit, filtration and effectively block aerosol particles. This is because it effectively doubles the layers of material that virus-containing respiratory droplets have to travel through before reaching a face or leaving a mouth,” Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy CEO Azrul Mohd Khalib said.
Azrul said a face shield offered protection from contamination to others as well as to the wearer. “It provides eye protection which a face mask doesn’t.”
According to Noor Hisham, double-masking and face shields offer up to 96% protection against exposure to the Covid-19 virus, including the highly contagious Delta variant, the dominant variant in the country.
Meanwhile, the CDC notes that a single face mask offers 65% protection against droplets.
Who, when and where?
Experts say the layering practice is not a “one-size-fits-all” approach. Instead, it all depends on the circumstances of individuals, exposure and location.
“Double-masking and the wearing of face shields would be advisable for the unvaccinated and those who have not been fully vaccinated, in areas where close contact is unavoidable,” Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr Subramaniam Muniandy said.
Subramaniam said this practice was ideal in restaurants, hair salons and other areas where people come into close contact with others.
Azrul said a face shield was good additional protection if a person was exposed to or frequently engaged with the public. “Otherwise, a face mask is sufficient.”
Should it become part of Covid-19 SOP?
Azrul said it was not necessary for double-masking and face shields to be part of the Covid-19 SOP.
“It depends on circumstances and level of exposure for the individual. Face shields and double-masking are already part of standard PPE protocol for people working in certain services, including healthcare providers and those in retail businesses.”
He said employers concerned over safety at their workplace could evaluate the circumstances and the level of exposure their staff faced.
“Consider whether a face shield is necessary, such as for cashiers at a supermarket. If it is, make sure that your staff are equipped with face shields and wear them when they work.”
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