AMID the resolve of the national government to continue making face shields mandatory, an official of the Department of Health (DOH) yesterday said they may actually be removed by the public when they are outdoors.
In a televised public briefing, Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said: “When we are outside, walking in the streets or working, it may really affect us… So, we may opt to remove them (face shields).”
He said the risk of transmitting the coronavirus is low when outside.
However, the health official stressed that the wearing of face shields remain mandatory for people who are in indoor public places.
“Once we go indoors, we must wear our face shields because it is an added protection to prevent infection,” he said.
Asked if Vega’s position is already an adopted policy, the Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the mandatory wearing of face shields is for specific settings only.
She cited Joint Memorandum Circular 2021-0001 or the “Clarificatory Guidelines on the Mandatory Use of Face Shields Outside of Residence for COVID-19 Mitigation,” which provides that face shield use is required in enclosed public spaces, schools, workplaces, commercial establishments such as but not limited to food establishments, malls, and public markets, public transport and terminals, places of worship, and other public spaces where the one-meter physical distancing is not possible and there is a gathering of more than 10 person in one venue at the same time.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has put his foot down on proposals to do away with the wearing of face shields, saying that this remains an integral part of the minimum public health standards against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
It was Manila Mayor Isko Moreno who first called for the removal of the mandatory face shield policy in order to lessen the expenses and problems of the public.
