THE prices of face shields has dramatically increased following a warning issued by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) directing the Philippine National Police (PNP) to arrest defiant individuals.
Vendors selling disposable face masks and face shields have increased the selling price of the protective gears by as much as P20 pesos per box of the China-made disposable face masks, while consumers are now made to buy face shields at P20 a piece from P10.
“Wala naman po kami kinalaman sa pagtataas niyan kasi pagkuha namin kaninang umaga ng paninda mataas na. Eh ano pa ba pwede naming i-reklamo eh utang ang paninda namin,” says one vendor from Cainta, Rizal.
In a statement, DILG spokesperson Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya cited data from the National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF) which hinted at the importance on the use of face masks and face shields.
“According to the medical experts, the combined population effectiveness of both the face masks and face shields is only at 26 percent instead of 80 percent if use was more prevalent. Therefore, we have to increase the use of face shields to get the maximum protection at this time of the surge,” Malaya said.
Malaya also hinted at mobilizing barangay force multipliers to enforce health protocols adding that it is a challenge promoting the use of face masks at home amid the reports of more COVID-19 transmission within a family.
Aside from the government’s new policy on apprehending those who would not comply with the mandatory use of face masks and face shields, Malaya also discouraged the public from accepting visitors from outside the immediate family or household.
From August 20 to March 20, the PNP has reported 1,503,273 violations of minimum health protocols nationwide, the spokesperson said.
Of the total number, at least 671,104 or 44.6 percent are violations for not wearing face masks and face shields, while 430,773 or 28.7 percent were wearing face masks but had no face shields