Is a PPE visor classed as a suitable face covering?

[Ihgnelotto]

...it doesn’t fit snugly on the face so I’m assuming that it may not? but they are being used by quite a few shops staff at the moment.

DS has ASD (autistic spectrum disorder). My facial expression and him being able to clearly hear my voice are crucial to how we cope when out and about..it occurred to me that wearing a PPE visor could work well for us, but of course we may not fit the guidelines. I’ve looked on the .gov website but it doesn’t seem massively clear.

No, sorry. They do different jobs.

Masks prevent your coughs and sneezes from spreading and forming droplets in the air.
Visors prevent droplets hanging in the air from other people's coughs/sneezes/shouts etc entering through your eyes.

I did wonder. Having read further, if you are caring for someone who is relies on lip reading to communicate then you are exempt...a PPE visor would be better than nothing at and would be better than having to keep removing a cloth face mask when we are out.

I noticed the hairdressers near us wearing just clear plastic faceguards, no mask, so I don't see why you can't use them as a face covering, they cover your face.

They're not counted as suitable face coverings in Scotland. Jason Leitch confirmed this the other day.

There are some masks about that are clear plastic in the middle... I'm not sure how good they will be... Might steam up... But would that work?

People with autism are exempt from wearing masks and so are children under 11. Also you only need to wear them in shops and public transport. My autistic son hates both and so we will avoid, luckily he is old enough for me to leave at home. It's going to be a quiet summer holidays.

@Ihgnelotto

I did wonder. Having read further, if you are caring for someone who is relies on lip reading to communicate then you are exempt...a PPE visor would be better than nothing at and would be better than having to keep removing a cloth face mask when we are out.

Definitely better than nothing when out with your soon.

Sounds like visor when with him, mask if you are on your own could be the best solution.
Have you seen the exemption lanyards and cards?

A long visor with a 3 layer fabric surround would do the job wouldn't it?

You can get fade masks with a clear section in the middle so he could still see your mouth.

It’s not just my mouth though really, but thanks for the suggestion of the mask with the mouth visible. I have seen the lanyards and exemption cards. I’m his safe person when we’re out and about and sometimes things can get a bit hectic, his being able to see that I am calm and not cross is really important.

I have been managing to shop solo but today he wanted to choose clothes in the flesh rather than on-line, not an unreasonable request, so today was his first time in a shop for months.

Certainly a visor with cloth would meet criteria, but I wonder if it would steam up?!

We've bought some for us to wear if we need to take ds somewhere where masks are required such as medical appointments. He doesn't understand speech and relies on our facial expressions and seeing our whole face to keep calm. If we wore masks there would be a high risk of challenging behaviour.

The efficacy of visors is getting mixed reviews. Some research said it stops 96% of infection, but the Swiss tracked a raft of cases to wearing face visors:
uk.mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUKKCN24F25J#aoh=15950024065277&amp_ct=1595002592827&csi=1&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s. I've no idea whether there is a difference from different mask types, or whether this Swiss example was a case of bad wearing practice, or whether they've simply got it wrong. Interested to know if anyone else has thoughts.

Can you pull up a snood and then pull it down quickly when your son needs to see your face? It's not ideal, but better than wearing nothing and maybe more practical for your situation.

Or just do what you need to; if a visor works for you then I doubt you'll get objections anywhere.

In Scotland it is. The Scottish government website says: You may also use, if you prefer, a face visor but it must cover your nose and mouth completely.

In England the rules talk more about cloth.

@fuckweasel

They're not counted as suitable face coverings in Scotland. Jason Leitch confirmed this the other day.

In total contrast to what it says on their website!

I've just ordered visors for my autistic son he is 11 and going to be on public transport in September to get to school. I know technically he could be exempt due to his autism but he hates to tell people he has autism or look different to his peers. We tried several types of masks and he hated them all, as soon as the visor arrived he loved it and said he'd happily wear it all day!

I've just ordered visors for my autistic son he is 11 and going to be on public transport in September to get to school. I know technically he could be exempt due to his autism but he hates to tell people he has autism or look different to his peers. We tried several types of masks and he hated them all, as soon as the visor arrived he loved it and said he'd happily wear it all day!

Well Keir Starmer doesnt seem to get any objections to his.