MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte announced on Wednesday that face shields are no longer compulsory to be worn outdoors by Filipinos.
The announcement came as Duterte approved the Technical Advisory Group’s (TAG) suggestion to limit the usage of face shields to the “3Cs,” which refers to “closed and crowded” spaces and activities that “create close contact.”
“I was informed of the recommendation from the Technical Advisory Group and medical groups that the use of face shields, on top of face mask, may be limited to high-risk activities under the three Cs – closed, crowded pati (and) close contact,” Duterte said in his prerecorded Talk to the People.
Duterte also directed that the latest policy on the use of face shields be implemented and guidelines issued “immediately”.
“Puwede 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’ (The limitation is use face shield in three ‘Cs’),” he said. “Iyang tatlo na iyan, face shield is a must pa rin. Iyan ang recommendation (Face shield is still a must in three [‘Cs]. That’s the recommendation).”
Duterte stated to the public on September 10 that, while wearing a face shield does not guarantee “total” protection, it can help prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the country.
On December 14, 2020, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) issued Resolution 88, requiring all people to wear full-coverage face shields on top of face masks in all public places to limit Covid-19 transmission.
However, Duterte released an order in June of this year requiring the public to wear face shields only in hospitals.
Given the occurrence of the highly contagious Delta coronavirus variant, Duterte later opted to maintain the IATF-EID policy requiring the use of face shields in public places.
According to a latest study published in the Lancet, a prominent international medical journal, wearing a mask can reduce the risk of contracting Covid-19 by 78%.
The study also revealed that wearing a face shield in addition to the mask reduces the chance of transmission by 85%.
