FILE PHOTO: A traffic enforcer wears a face shield with the image of the National Color as he monitors the proper wearing of face shield and face mask in Taytay Public Market in Taytay, Rizal on Tuesday, August 11, 2020, as the municipality passes an ordinance requiring the use of face shield in public places. INQUIRER / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
MANILA, Philippines — Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año will propose the lifting of the face shield use policy in the next meeting of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases.
This was disclosed by DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya during the Laging Handa briefing on Thursday.
Currently, the use of a face shield is mandated in three Cs — closed spaces, crowded areas, and close-contact settings.
“In the next IATF meeting, I was told that Secretary Año will be proposing na tanggalin na po ang (to already remove the) face shield requirement. But, at the end of the day, it will be the decision of the IATF,” DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said during the Laging Handa briefing.
According to Malaya, DILG backs calls to gradually stop the use of face shields except in hospitals.
“So, kami po sa (Us in the) DILG, we will recommend to the IATF na dahan-dahan na nating tanggalin ‘yung (to gradually remove) face shields as a requirement, except of course in hospital settings,” he said.
“’Pag kayo po ay nasa ospital, since high-risk environment ‘yan, sa tingin po namin sa DILG required pa din, kailangan ang paggamit ng face shield. But, in other instances, sa tingin po namin ay pwede na pong luwagan ang polisiyang ‘yan,” Malaya added.
(When you are in hospitals, since that is a high-risk environment, we think it should still be required. But, in other instances, we see that the policy could be relaxed.)
On Tuesday, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that the IATF is mulling if there is still a need to use face shields as COVID-19 cases in the country continue to decline.
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