SWS: 53% of Pinoys wear face shields outdoors

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / 📷:Niño Jesus Orbeta

MANILA, Philippines — One in two adult Filipinos, or 53 percent, say they always wear face shields in outdoor areas as a precaution against COVID-19, results of a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey found.

The poll was conducted from April 28 to May 2 among 1,200 respondents nationwide, following calls to scrap the policy requiring people to wear face shields.

The use of face shields when riding public transportation or going to malls and other establishments was practiced less frequently than wearing a face mask, hand-washing and keeping physical distance, according to the survey.

SWS also found 75 percent saying they always use face mask when going out of their houses, 67 percent who always wash their hands several times a day and 58 percent who always keep a “physical distance” of 1 meter from other people.

The government started requiring the use of face shields together with face masks in public places in December 2020. Previously, face shields were only a must in enclosed public spaces or public transportation.

Falling compliance

Results of the survey also showed compliance to all the safety practices fell in the Visayas and Mindanao while it rose in Metro Manila and Luzon outside Metro Manila.

The use of face shields dropped in the Visayas from 66 percent in September to 35 percent in May, and in Mindanao from 58 percent to 43 percent while it rose in Metro Manila from 55 percent to 66 percent and in Luzon outside Metro Manila from 52 percent to 62 percent.

The use of face masks also declined in the Visayas from 86 percent to 72 percent and in Mindanao from 78 percent to 64 percent while it rose in Luzon outside Metro Manila from 76 percent to 80 percent and in Metro Manila from 77 percent to 78 percent.

Frequent hand-washing also fell in Mindanao from 69 percent to 52 percent and in the Visayas from 75 percent to 69 percent while it went up in Metro Manila from 63 percent to 76 percent and in Luzon outside Metro Manila from 64 percent to 71 percent.

Physical distancing drops

Maintaining physical distance went down in Mindanao from 60 percent to 42 percent and in the Visayas from 66 percent to 52 percent while it rose in Luzon outside Metro Manila from 56 percent to 66 percent. It stayed at 65 percent in Metro Manila.

According to SWS, those who always use a face mask are fewer among those who are not worried about catching COVID-19 (56 percent) than among those worried a little (69 percent), somewhat worried (73 percent) and worried a great deal (77 percent).

Those who always wash their hands are also fewer among those not worried about catching the virus (55 percent) than among those worried a little (65 percent), somewhat worried (62 percent) and worried a great deal (69 percent).

The survey had a sampling margin of error of plus-or-minus 3 percent for national percentages and plus-or-minus 6 percent for Metro Manila, Luzon outside Metro Manila, the Visayas and Mindanao. —Inquirer Research INQ