“They do not provide the kind of protection that a face covering provides.”
Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan has called on members of the public to refrain from wearing visors and to instead wear face coverings.
Plastic visors have become widely used to protect people in shops, bars and other settings from Covid-19.
However, Dr Holohan has said that a plastic visor is “not appropriate” protection from Covid-19 in most settings.
Speaking on RTÉ News at One, Dr Holohan said: “There are settings in which [visors] can be used and they’re often used in clinical settings as an adjunct to a face covering a mask that a doctor a nurse or health profession would use for splash protection.
“But I’ve seen in my own personal experience that their widespread use in hospitality and other settings, they’re not appropriate.
“They do not provide the kind of protection that a face covering provides.”
Deputy CMO Dr Ronan Glynn has previously called on the public to ensure that face coverings are worn correctly in order to ensure their effectiveness.
Dr Holohan also said the aim of the current restrictions is to lower the number of cases of Covid-19 in Ireland to below 100 cases per day by the start of September.
The National Public Health Emergency Team wants to try and halt infections at local levels as quickly as possible.
“We are confident that if we can follow public health advice in the same way that it was followed in the early part of this year, and drive the reproductive number to 0.5 that we can get there within the time period that we have identified,” he said.
He also called on people to follow advice and self-isolate if they’re confirmed cases or awaiting the result of a test.
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