PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte lifted Wednesday, September 22, 2021, the mandatory outdoor use of face shield but said it is still required in areas that are “closed and crowded.”

“Ang limitasyon, ang face shields gamitin mo 3 Cs -- closed whatever facility, ospital o basta magkadikit-dikit; crowded, ganoon rin, it’s a crowded room tapos closed lahat, mas delikado; and saka ang close contact, kung magkadikit-dikit ang tao. So diyan applicable pa rin ang face shield,” Duterte said during his Talk to the People Address.

He said he ordered the immediate issuance of “implementation guidelines” regarding the new policy.

In Resolution 88 of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases issued on December 14, 2021, wearing of face shield is required “whenever persons go out of their residences” as added protection against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

The government, however, was criticized for flip-flopping on the implementation of mandatory wearing of face shields.

It has also been a subject of discussions among government officials, as some said the use of face shield has no scientific basis and that it only added cost to the people, while the others maintain it is another layer of protection to prevent Covid-19 transmission. (SunStar Philippines)