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If Covid-19 can float in the air over particles and be there for up to 3 hours (1:50 minute), and if the virus could get into your system through eyes, nose or mouth (See Spread from contact with contaminated surfaces or objects section), then would not be better to use one of those suits to have full protection?

If no, why?

Suits and face mask like these ones

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The mask, only covers your nose and mouth, if used properly. What about the eyes protection then?

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In an ideal world everyone would have full body Ebola type protection. In the world of practicality, the WHO has advised that this is a droplet, and surface spread infection. However, it is not discounting the possibility of aerosols especially during some medical procedures eg. induced coughing, and then a potentially ill fitting mask and goggles may not be enough even in a negative pressure room.

If the full protection is available people are using it. But there's a shortage of even basic masks in the USA and elsewhere.

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  • There's also the issue of fatigue. Wearing PPE like that for an entire shift would be exhausting. And then there's training, fit testing of the masks, and men with facial hair would have to shave. – Carey Gregory♦ Mar 25 at 22:36
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    In China they were asking nurses to cut their locks .. videos of female nurses crying as their hair was cropped so that PPE would fit tightly. – Graham Chiu Mar 25 at 22:46
  • Thanks for your answer. – I likeThatMeow Mar 26 at 16:04
  • @CareyGregory I think it wouldn't matter, as long as one doesn't caught the virus. I've seen testimonies on YouTube of recovered patients that explains how bad it feels to be infected by Covid-19. – I likeThatMeow Mar 26 at 16:11
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    @America Something tells me you've never worn PPE like that. Those suits don't breath and they don't wick moisture, so they're extremely hot and once you begin sweating the sweat has nowhere to go. The result is you quickly feel like you're living in a tropical swamp. The masks are equally cumbersome and make breathing more laborious. So it does matter because someone wearing PPE like that is going to become exhausted and dehydrated far faster than normal, and that will impair their performance. You'll also have to allow them more breaks than normal, and that reduces the available staff. – Carey Gregory♦ Mar 26 at 17:51

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