Face shields will no longer be required in areas placed under Alert Levels 1, 2, and 3, as approved by President Rodrigo Duterte.
In a memorandum issued on Monday, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialda said that Duterte has approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force that ditches the use of face shields in some areas across the Philippines.
For areas under Alert Levels 3, 2, and 1, the use of face shields will be voluntary, according to the memorandum.
In areas under Alert Level 4, the use of face shields will be under the discretion of the local government units (LGUs) and private establishments.
Meanwhile, the use of face shields in areas under Alert Level 5 and granular lockdowns shall remain mandatory.
Later, in his taped "Talk to the People" Duterte reiterated that face shields are no longer required, but face masks are here to stay.
"The mask will forever remain and it will be part of our day-to-day safety measure kasi matagal pa itong virus na nasa hangin lang," he said.
(The mask will forever remain and it will be part of our day-to-day safety measure because this virus that’s in the air will remain longer.)
The government issued the decision after days of heated exchanges between the national government and some LGUs about the mandatory use of face shields.
Manila Mayor Isko Moreno was the first to ditch its mandatory use in the National Capital Region, which earned warnings from Malacañang and urging from the Department of Health to postpone it to avoid confusion.
