Reports from ABC News say that Fauci told the outlet’s chief medical correspondent, Dr. Jennifer Ashton, on an Instagram Live conversation that Americans should consider wearing goggles or a face shield to protect against the spread of COVID-19, both in the sense of spreading the virus and catching it.
Fauci went on to say that, in order to provide “perfect protection” of the mucosal surfaces, goggles or an eye shield could be used because of the disease’s pathway through the eyes. There are several mask mandates from states and cities, all the way down to individual businesses, but common masks are covering the nose and mouth, not the eyes.
The nation’s most high-profile infectious disease expert went on to say that face shields or goggles aren’t currently universally recommended, but, if you can use it, you should to cover all applicable areas.
“You have mucosa in the nose, mucosa in the mouth, but you also have mucosa in the eye,” Fauci told Ashton on the Instagram Live stream. “Theoretically, you should protect all the mucosal surfaces. So if you have goggles or an eye shield you should use it.”
