THE Philippines is considering lifting its mandatory use of face shields in crowded areas.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Tuesday, November 2, said that the decline in COVID-19 infection rates might persuade the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to drop the face shield requirement.
“I can confirm po na habang bumababa ang mga numero, eh pinag-uusapan na rin po kung ipagpapatuloy pa ang pagsusuot ng face shields (I can confirm that while the number of infections continue to decline, we are discussing whether it is still necessary to wear face shields),” he said in an online press briefing.
“So, tama po kayo dahil bumababa ang numero, marami nang kumbaga nagsasabi sa IATF na baka dapat itigil na rin ang pagsusuot ng face shields (You are right because the numbers are dropping, many people are telling the IATF that maybe it is time to stop the use of face shields),” he added.
However, Roque advised the public to continue wearing face shields until a final decision has been made.
“Pero, wala pa pong desisyon. So, suot pa rin po tayo ng face shields (But, we have no decision yet. So, let us still wear face shields),” he said.
“Nililinaw ko lang po, bagamat dumadami ang sumusuporta sa hindi na paggamit ng face shields dahil bumababa ang numero, sa ngayon po, isuot pa rin po natin ang face shields (I’m just clarifying, while many support not using face shields because of declining numbers, for now, we have to wear face shields),” the spokesman added.
In September this year, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte limited the use of face shields in places that fall under the “3Cs” category: crowded, closed, and close contact.
“Pwede na tanggalin sa labas (You no longer need to use that outside). No more face shields outside. Ang limitasyon, ang face shield gamitin mo [sa] three ‘Cs.’ Iyang tatlo na iyan, face shield is a must pa rin. Iyan ang recommendation (The limitation is the use of a face shield in three ‘Cs.’ Face shield is still a must in those three. That’s the recommendation),” the chief executive said.
The IATF first issued the use of face shields outdoors in December last year.
In August, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that they would look into the country’s experience in requiring the use of face shields.
“It’s interesting that we have also been able to sort of delay the speed at which the Delta variant is spreading and we don’t know whether the face shields are a contributory factor. So, while we are understanding all of these issues, it’s best to look for evidence and make decisions based on that,” said WHO representative to the Philippines Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe.
The Philippines is the only country in the world that requires using face shields in addition to masks.
To date, there are a total of 2,792,656 COVID-19 cases in the country, with 43,404 fatalities and 2,708,466 recoveries. n
