WEARING of face shields are no longer required in outdoor areas, according to a top Palace official.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said President Rodrigo Duterte has already spoken that face shields are not required in outdoor areas. This effectively breaks the impasse on the variation of statements issued by top government officials as to whether or not wearing face shields outside of homes is mandatory.
“Hindi na po kinakailangan ang face shield sa labas kasi hindi naman inapela ‘yan ng IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases). The IATF only appealed about the wearing of face shields indoors, including in malls, commercial establishments, and public transportation,” Roque told reporters.
Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said last week that there is no need to wear a face shield when outdoors without crowds where there is low risk of COVID-19 transmission.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III, meanwhile, said that President Duterte has agreed that wearing of face shield should only be mandated in hospitals.
Roque, on the other hand, said the President’s word is a policy but with no prejudice to an appeal from the IATF, the policymaking body of the government’s COVID-19 response.
The IATF ultimately recommended wearing of face shields in indoor spaces and in areas where there are crowds.