Cyclists exempted from wearing face shields in Pasig

MANILA, Philippines — The Pasig City government has exempted cyclists from wearing face shields.

The Pasig Transport Development and Management Office or Pasig Transport made the statement yesterday following a consultation with stakeholders.

“Evidence shows and consultation among bikers reveals that biking while wearing a face shield is dangerous,” it said in a statement.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has required people to wear face shields on top of face masks when going out of their homes to avoid contracting COVID-19.

However, Pasig Transport said wearing a face shield obstructs the view of cyclists. It added that wearing the additional protective gear makes breathing difficult.

Pasig Transport said cyclists are safe even if they are only wearing face masks as they are isolated from other commuters.

Lt. Gen. Cesar Binag, Philippine National Police (PNP) deputy chief for operations, said cycling enthusiasts and joggers are required to wear face shields on top of face masks in public places.

He said that the “general rule” is for people to wear face masks and shields whenever they are outside their homes.

Meanwhile, six barangays in Pasig have recorded zero cases of COVID-19 as of yesterday. These are Barangays Bagong Katipunan, Oranbo, San Jose, San Nicholas,
Sta. Cruz and Sta. Rosa.

The barangays with the most number of COVID-19 cases are Pineda, Rosario, Pinagbuhatan and Manggahan with 28, 25, 20 and 17, respectively.

There are 9,471 COVID-19 cases in Pasig but only 220 remain active while the rest have recovered. A total of 379 patients have died of the virus.

The city government urged the public to strictly comply with quarantine protocols to avoid getting infected with COVID-19.