WASHINGTON — In late July the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that fully vaccinated individuals should wear face masks in public indoor spaces in "areas of substantial or high transmission."
Within days governors and mayors across the country reinstituted indoor mask requirements, as states and counties became transmission hotspots.
On July 29 D.C.'s Mayor Bowser announced plans to reinstate the District's indoor mask mandate, taking effect on July 31.
A viewer asked the Verify team whether someone wearing a face shield—without a mask underneath—would be in compliance with the mandate.
THE QUESTION
Under D.C.'s indoor mask mandate, can you wear just a face shield?
THE ANSWER
No, according to D.C. Health a face shield is not an alternative for a mask.
THE SOURCES
- D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser- Mayor's Order 2021-097
- D.C. Department of Health- "Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19): Mask Guidance for the General Public"
WHAT WE FOUND
According to the Mayor's Order from July, "all persons must wear masks indoors as prescribed by DC Health guidance and regulations as may be updated from time to time."
So we checked with DC Health guidance, which answers this directly: "a face shield is not an acceptable alternative for wearing a mask.”
"Face shields are not designed to be used for source control, but to protect the eyes of the person wearing them," a spokesperson for DC Health said via email. "Face shields have large gaps where respiratory droplets from the wearer can escape and reach others. Similarly, the large gaps do not protect the wearer from respiratory droplets from other people that may then be inhaled in the nose or mouth."
The CDC says that face shields are "not recommended," writing that "evaluation of face shields is ongoing, but effectiveness is unknown at this time."
So we can Verify, no, if you wear a face shield without a mask underneath, you’re not compliant with DC law, and you could be denied service and told to leave.