MANILA, Philippines — The use of face shields outdoors is no longer required, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday.
“No more face shields outside,” Duterte said in a speech aired late Wednesday.
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The chief executive said this was the recommendation of the government’s technical advisory group and other medical experts.
However, people are still required to wear face shields in areas that fall under the “3Cs” category”: crowded, closed and close contact.
“The limitation is to use face shields in the 3Cs: closed facilities such as hospitals, crowded areas such as a crowded room and where there is close contact or when people are physically close to each other,” Duterte said in Filipino.
The president said he had ordered that the guidelines for the new policy be issued immediately.
On June 21, Malacañang said people would no longer be required to wear face shields outdoors. But on the same day, it announced that Duterte retained the use of face shields both indoors and outdoors.
Officials have faced calls to ditch the use of face shields but they have insisted the plastic coverings provide additional protection against COVID-19. — Gaea Katreena Cabico