City, province open to removing face shield rule

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

City and provincial government officials in Iloilo are open to following the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte to ditch the use of face shields in certain areas.

The face shield has become a primary “weapon” of the government in preventing the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

During his recorded address on Wednesday, Duterte said that he will relax the guidelines on the use of face shields by limiting it to the so-called “3C” areas – closed, crowded, and close-contacts.

The announcement was based on the recommendations of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG), which is a body of independent infectious disease experts who advise the Department of Health (DOH) on COVID-19 response and management.

Local governments have already required face shields to be worn in all public places since the third quarter of 2020 to control the spread of COVID-19, but it was only made as an official national policy on Dec. 14, 2020 via Resolution No. 88 of the national Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID).

But as of this writing, neither Duterte nor any national government body has made official issuances on the relaxed face shield policy.

ILOILO CITY

Iloilo City Councilor Ely Estante, principal author of Regulation Ordinance No. 2020-095 which required face shields to be worn in public places in the city, was more concerned on the scope of 3Cs.

Estante told Aksyon Radyo Iloilo on Friday that if Duterte does issue an order to mandate local government units (LGUs) to implement his announcement, he believes the city ordinance will be overridden.

He also believed that this may benefit the city’s Compliance Team, as their monitoring and inspection of COVID protocols, particularly face shield wearing, would also be minimized to these “3C” establishments.

“Our ordinance will be overridden, considering that this is an order coming from the executive which is binding to all local government units. So, wearing of face masks in the areas he included, other than that, it’s okay not to wear face shields,” Estante said.

He, however, added that they would not need to amend RO 2020-095, as the relaxed restrictions may be lifted depending on the COVID-19 situation in the city.

“We wouldn’t need to amend the ordinance, because as I have said, it might be temporary, the executive order, upon the situation, and at any time if it’s seen to be lifted, it will be lifted, so it’s not permanent,” he added.

What was important to him was that if Duterte were to formally issue an order easing the rules on face shields, it must include what would constitute the 3Cs.

His personal view was that malls and jeepneys are included in the ambit of 3Cs as to how the president had described the ordinance, and said that the definition must be clarified for the benefit of both the general public and the business establishments.

“For me, once he issues an executive order, there must be a terminology of the 3Cs, so that the people will not be confused, if ever, including the owners of business establishments who may be penalized if there would be anyone entering without a face shield,” he said.

ILOILO PROVINCE

Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. said on Thursday that while he was willing to amend his current rules on the use of face shields, he also saw its effectivity in curbing COVID-19 spread in some areas, like jeepneys and hospitals.

The governor’s Executive Order No. 305, as amended, which provides the province’s current guidelines under the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ), mandates the use of face shields in all public places as well as in public transport.

Like other local leaders, Defensor is also waiting for an issuance from either Duterte or the IATF-MEID on the matter.

“My opinion is that there are places where [face shields] can help. If it’s true that COVID-19 can go through the eyes, it can help. But I’m looking for categorical policy. Why do we cover our mouth and nose? Because it can come out of our mouth, it can come through our mouth. Is that the same with our eyes? In jeepneys, we cannot avoid being close to each other, so face shields can be effective there,” the governor said.

The governor added that the restrictions on face shields, similar to other COVID-19 precautionary measures, would depend on the capacity of social gatherings that would be allowed.