Mandatory wearing of face shield in workplaces reasonable, Palace tells business groups

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / JOAN BONDOC

MANILA, Philippines — The mandatory wearing of face shields in workplaces is reasonable considering its added protection to employees against the new coronavirus, Malacañang said Monday.

This was presidential spokesperson Harry Roque’s response when sought to comment on business groups’ appeal to exempt workers from wearing face shields in offices and factories.

“Well alam niyo po kasi ‘yang pagsusuot ng face shields, napatunayan na po ‘yan sa siyensiya na nakakatulong doon sa pagpigil ng pagkalat ng COVID-19,” Roque said.

(Science has proven that wearing face shields helps prevent COVID-19 transmission.)

“Considering na bumagsak na po ang presyo ng face shield, hindi po unreasonable na requirement ‘yan ng IATF [Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases],” he added.

(Considering that the price of face shields already decreased, it is not an unreasonable requirement from the IATF.)

Business groups also raised questions over the mandatory isolation rooms for every 200 employees, asking why the government is “passing the responsibility” to the private sector.

But Roque noted that responding to curb the virus transmission is a “shared responsibility” of both the government and private companies.

“Pagdating naman po doon sa responsibilidad, alam niyo po, shared responsibility po natin ang laban sa COVID-19. Hindi po natin pupwedeng sabihin na ang mga employers, dahil sila ang may-ari ng workplace kung saan marami ring mga transmission ng COVID-19, ay walang responsibilidad,” he said.

(When it comes to responsibility, addressing COVID-19 is our shared responsibility. We cannot say that employers, since they are owners of the workplace, have no responsibility.)

Roque suggested the private sector coordinate with their respective local government units if they are facing problems in terms of space for isolation rooms.

JPV