Viral Helmets can help reopen casinos, school safely
This open letter was sent to Nevada casinos, gaming unions, and government officials on Jan 2, 2021.
What do casinos and schools have in common? They both operate best in-person, and COVID19 is disrupting operations greatly.
What if I were to tell you that we could safely open:
- Something that has better protection than N95
- Something more comfortable than regular mask (because it has a built in fan)
- Something that lets you see the whole face
That is the new effort to build viral helmets.
Viral helmets are safer, more comfortable, and let you see the whole face.
Viral helmets have protection levels that are so high, you can safely end social distancing. What does this mean? It means that:
face-to-face (<6ft)+Viral Helmet
…is safer than
6ft away + regular mask.
So, viral helmets on paper look like an easy decision, a slam dunk. So why haven’t they caught on?
What’s the catch?
There are three things of concern. Acceptability, cost, and certification. All of these can be solved with government+business cooperation to open more safely.
ACCEPTABILITY
This is the big one. Humans are social creatures and they like the familiar. Until they become commonplace, viral helmets will look out of place.
Luckily, acceptability can be addressed by casinos and schools.
- Casinos can theme viral helmets to be part of a uniform. A big plus is that customers can see the employee smile, which is so important in a service industry.
- School teachers can choose to wear a normal mask or a viral helmet. (Again, seeing the whole face is a big plus, as is the higher comfort.) If a school decides to do this together, all at once, it’ll be new and different, but not weird.
COST
Viral helmets are niche items often costing up to $300. This is because none of them have been mass-produced. With mass production or a large order, the cost can come down considerably. One design has been shared freely and can be made for less than $30.
The issue of cost can be addressed by casinos and schools, but in different ways.
- Casinos lose a lot of money from lockdowns. A viral helmet that costs $300 that allows them to stay open is worth a lot. If it can also increase foot traffic/visitors because a casino is perceived safer, that’s well worth it. As a wholesale buyer of many units, they can negotiate lower prices.
- For a school, $300 per teacher is a big cost. But schools aren’t entertainment venues, so they don’t need the fanciest viral helmets. They might opt for the $30 option that is just as safe. Furthermore, many schools and teachers are fighting over whether they can safely reopen. Viral helmets are a way to protect at-risk teachers. Government could also step in to cover the cost.
Note: Viral Helmets are re-usable, but shouldn’t be shared among users. Filters are replaceable and usually cost about $5–10 for a week or more of use.
CERTIFICATION
IMPORTANT NOTE: If seeing the face isn’t required, one can offer viral helmets worn over surgical masks. This way, viral helmets are supplemental protection, and this gets around the liability issues.
Currently, because viral helmets are so new, there aren’t any certifications for them. NIOSH has a certification for powered air purifying respirators (PAPR) often used in mining and disease outbreaks. But it’s quite expensive (estimate: $250,000) and requires features that are overkill for casinos and schools.
What standards need to be met? Exactly 3, in my opinion:
- What percentage efficiency is the intake filter? (protect wearer)
- What percentage efficiency is the exhaust filter? (protect others)
- How good is the seal? (avoid leaks and contaminated air bypasses)
Now, regular masks like what can be bought at CVS and on Etsy also don’t have any certification. But those are currently what casino workers and teachers use.
We know for sure that a viral helmet is better than a regular surgical mask (which is #2 in the chart). So, that may be enough for some businesses.
But schools and casinos are (rightfully) going to worry about getting sued. Nobody is going to take a risk and stick their neck out on an “unproven” technology.
The issue of certification for casinos and schools can be addressed in different ways.
- Casinos have a trade association and scale. They can work with regulators to develop a voluntary standard for Viral Helmets. That standard would test for filter efficiency and fit. The filter and fit tests aren’t cost-prohibitive: they can cost $1000-$5000 per product.
- Schools also have scale, but they (usually) are part of the government. A city or state could produce it’s own certification or standard that would test viral helmets that schools might want to use. $1000-$5000 is too much for one school to cover, but something a state/city can easily do. After all, it’s to protect teachers.
Government could also bulk buy and distribute to schools, essential workers, and citizens who want them.
In any case, there needs to be some government intervention. Right now, the normal masks we are wearing have no certification. And the industrial NIOSH-approved masks need to pass an onerous battery of tests ($250,000). Something that costs $1000-$5000 is doable and can be covered by either the manufacturer of a viral helmet or the state/buyer.
Good luck to casinos, teachers, and everyone. Please stay safe. For more info, check out my companion site: viralhelmets.com
For more info or to discuss viral helmets, please email info@viralhelmets.com. For the first 10 people who email, I’ll offer a free 45-minute consultation.
DISCLOSURE: I am the person who runs viralhelmets.com and who has worked on some viral helmets. I do not own any interest in any company that currently sells viral helmets. I do make money as a consultant on COVID19 safety issues. But, for the pandemic, I’m donating my time and all profits. I just want this important technology to become more popular so that it can save lives.
