COVID-19 & Plexiglass: How Effective Are The Barriers?

The clear barriers have become a common fixture due to the coronavirus pandemic, but there is little science on how well they work. WDIV's Dr. Frank McGeorge reports.

(NBC News) — You’ve no doubt seen the plexiglass dividers being used to protect people in different public settings.

They were even installed on the stage at the 2020 Vice Presidential Debate to shield the participants from each other.

But are they effective?

Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommend the use of plexiglass and other barriers in work environments to reduce the direct spread of potentially infectious droplets between people, especially in manufacturing, retail or food service settings where physical distance might not be consistent.

Even though these recommendations are in place, there is surprisingly little science that supports their use or that gives clear guidance on the best design for them.

Intuitively, a barrier should be effective at stopping droplets that are expelled when a person talks, coughs or sneezes, and because they’ll become covered in those droplets, they should be regularly cleaned.

Read more here.