Manila Mayor Isko Moreno said it’s time for the national government to scrap its policy of requiring Filipinos to wear face shields outside their homes.

“Ang face shield ay dapat ipatigil nang i-require sa general population at gamitin na lamang sa ospital upang makabawas sa gastusin at intindihin ng taumbayan,” Moreno said in a statement.

“Tayo na lang yata sa buong mundo ang nag-re-require ng face shield sa kalsada. Dapat pag-isipan uli ito,” he added.

((The government should stop requiring the general population to wear face shields. Use them in hospitals to reduce the expenses and problems of the public. We might be the only country in the world that requires the wearing of a face shield in the streets. We need to rethink this.)

The national government first imposed the face shield requirement in December 2020, in addition to wearing face masks in public.

While a survey released in February shows nearly all Filipinos are compliant with the policy of wearing face masks, only around 6 in 10 individuals adhere to the face shield requirement.

There have been debates about the efficacy of face shields in preventing COVID-19 transmission, but the Department of Health has defended the policy, saying that wearing both a mask and face shield, as well as observing physical distancing, could prevent COVID-19 transmission by 90%.

COVID-19 cases have continued to surge in the country especially outside Metro Manila, prompting the Department of Health to urge local governments to intensify efforts to respond to the public health crisis in their areas. 

On Thursday, the country logged 5,257 new cases, raising the total to 1,240,716, of which 52,132 are active cases. The death toll is at 21,158 after the health department confirmed 146 more deaths. – Rappler.com