On the 17th of March 2020, Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared the coronavirus spread within Canada as an emergency. He proceeded to use his sweeping powers to initiate a wide range of closures and restrictions directed at curbing the spread of the virus.
As a consequence, bars and restaurants, public libraries, child care centers, schools, movie theatres, concerts, and live art shows were all required to close down immediately. The Canadian government did so in a bid to keep the infection rates low to avoid burdening the healthcare system.
Over the past few months, there have been widespread calls to reopen Canadian businesses given the harsh social and economic impact of the lockdown as well as other mitigation strategies such as social distancing.
Public health and social policy experts have helped amplify the calls to reopen the economy by outlining certain recommendations and containment strategies that would help reopen society gradually.
Among those strategies together with social distancing and hand hygiene, is the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommend wearing face coverings to prevent people from spreading as well as getting infected with the virus.
How a Face Shield Can Help Prevent COVID-19
As is with any preventive measure, the use of face shields goes back to how much we understand about how the coronavirus spreads.
Research from the CDC and the WHO has shown that Covid-19 primarily spreads through respiratory droplets. When a carrier of the virus speaks, coughs, or sneezes, they release oral droplets carrying coronavirus-causing pathogens. When these droplets are inhaled by someone else, they are likely to get infected by the virus.
With a face shield, however, Canadians can significantly minimize emitting respiratory droplets into communal breathable air as well as their risk of exposure.
Face shields are PPE devices used by healthcare workers such as surgeons, doctors, dentists, and even vets. They help protect the facial area of the workers from splashes, splatters, or sprays of body fluids.
Face shields provide a clear plastic covering over the forehead to the chin. They are warped around the sides to cover the ears without leaving an exposed gap between the forehead and the shield’s headpiece.
This design enables face shields to cover the entire face such that respiratory droplets will not land on your face. This includes the mouth, nose, and eyes, the latter of which is not covered with the use of face masks.
Face shields also make it harder for people to touch their faces which means they have fewer chances of transferring the virus from their hands to their faces if they came into contact with a contaminated surface. They are also reusable in that they can be disinfected with the use of a cleanser.
Where You Can Get Bulk Face Shields in Canada
1. 72hours.Ca
72hours.ca is an online retail store based in Canada that sells face shields both for kids and adults alike. As a single unit they each cost $4.99. The kids face shield is designed to offer full protection to children while adding a fun touch by incorporating tiger and rabbit designs to make it appealing for young ones.
2. The Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield is a brand of face shields created by InkSmith, a 3D printing startup based in Kitchener-Waterloo. Their products are licensed by Health Canada and they provide coverage from the hairline to the neck as well as from ear to ear sideways to offer full protection to the wearer from getting exposed to droplets.
As per their website, InkSmith is taking orders in quantities of 20, 100, 250, and 1000 units or more.
3. Tristan Style
Tristan Style is a Montreal-based top fashion brand that has been in business since the 1970s. Despite having their retail stores shut down as a result of the lockdown measures, they have diversified their operations to create face shields for the Canadian market.
Tristan’s brand of face shields is called Unum Sumus Shields. They are adjustable meaning they can be amended for different fits.
The company can produce up to 5,000 face shields every day and its products have been tested and approved by Health Canada as they have met the safety requirements and performance standards set by the government.
4. Grand and Toy
Founded in 1882, Grand and Toy were originally involved in the sale of office supplies and workplace products. That was before Covid-19. Now, the store has been compelled to make face shields of its own called Sterling Face Shields.
Sterling face shields are made from food-grade polymer designed to avoid the absorption of bacteria. It is also adjustable and can allow for a custom fit. They can be worn comfortably with safety goggles, prescription glasses, as well as other forms of PPE such as face masks.
5. Bauer Hockey
If there’s anyone who fully understands the importance and functionality of PPE on this list, it’s probably Bauer Hockey. The company manufactures ice hockey gear and apparel such as shin guards, shoulder pads, compression underwear, gloves, and helmets.
The company sells a protective face shield intended for health care workers as well as a personal protective face shield that one can easily integrate with their caps. The medical-grade face shields cost $7.99 for a pack of 10 orders whereas the integrated cap face shield goes for $14.99 but with a 10% discount on orders of 1,000 units or more.
Face Shields Are Highly Effective and Are Worth Having
With PPEs in short supply around the country, some Canadian health workers have had to use face shields designed for industries such as construction.
However, the government liaised with various companies in the country to make it easy for them to manufacture protective gear to flatten the COVID-19 curve such as face masks, hand sanitizer, and face shields.
Face shields are critical PPEs, especially for healthcare workers. They can be reused numerous times in a day and all it takes is cleaning the visor. They also offer full face protection against oral droplets. However, experts recommend that people wear face masks with their face shields for maximum efficiency.
If you need face shields, the suppliers listed above can fulfill your order both in minimal and bulk quantities.
