If You Can Forget That You Look, Well, Dorky, It’s Not A Bad Way To Stay Safe
BY ANDREW COLTON | EDITOR and PUBLISHER
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) — I had to fly last week on a business trip and, at the urging of family members, brought a face shield to wear on the plane. I truly had no intention of wearing it — I didn’t want to look like a Covidiot — I thought bringing it would be enough to placate everyone telling me to bring it. But once I put it on, I have to admit, it was as great as anything that covers your face can truly be.
I mention this because the Palm Beach County Executive Order, requiring face coverings, accepts ‘face shields’ as an option.
Let’s get this out of the way first: yes, you’ll look like a dork. There’s no way around it. Most of the face shields out there actually say “face shield” on the top — as if you need to announce to the world the name of what you’re wearing. My shirts don’t say “shirt” in big letters so why a face shield says “face shield” is bizarre, but nothing about the past four months isn’t.
Once you put it on, though, you immediately realize that you’ve entered the Ritz Carlton of social distancing. You can see around you. You can breathe. And most importantly, you’re sending a loud signal to everyone nearby that you mean business and their germs, saliva and invisible airborne particles need to find another host. It also sends the message that, “no, I really don’t want to talk to you, I’m wearing a face shield.” When you add it with a face mask underneath, it’s as if you’ve entered your very own crime scene surrounded by police tape that says “do not cross.” People look but they leave you alone.
I spent nearly 10 hours on planes over the course of two days. I had the face shield and a cloth face mask on the whole time. After a few minutes, you just don’t remember that the face shield is there.
And that can be a problem. There were two times when I went to eat a KIND bar and — admittedly — crashed it into the shield, legitimately making me a temporary Covidiot. It’s a good thing the face shields are cleanable.
You can find face shields online. We’re linking to a page of them here but can’t recommend one over the other. We can, however, recommend that if you find face coverings — whether paper or cloth — annoying, try a face shield. You may look like a lost welder, but at least you’ll be comfortable.
And the best part: the COVID-19 test I had waiting for me upon my return came back negative.
