Face shield hype

At first, the face shields were required whenever one would ride inside a public transportation. Now, they are needed whenever one would go inside an enclosed space like the mall. And I did, last weekend. The guard literally barred me from going in because I didn’t have my shield on. When I did and she welcomed me inside, I was feeling a little fuzzy. It was weird to go window shopping with another window on your face. It was even more difficult to breathe with the adjusted temperature of the mall. My sweat on my forehead was dripping on my nose where a portion of the shield was. I took precaution as I touched my face to wipe it off.

In other words, it is such a hassle. Although I understand the intention to protect Filipinos from contracting the virus but even the World Health Organization has not recommended yet the mandatory wearing of face shields. There are no studies yet to prove if it has tremendously improved the Covid situation in other countries. There are doubts that are running in my mind. Why the sudden need of a face shield?

I have noticed that there are only few kinds of affordable face shield. One particular is the one with a blue box with a Chinese name on it. It makes me wonder if there is any agreement between the country and the supplier. Although the Department of Trade and Industry has capped the price of face shields, there are still those who are selling them at a very high price. Why the limited suppliers for such an essential? With the many issues going on with our country and China, it makes me doubt the intent to wear such shields.

I think there is a better way to address the transmission of the virus aside from placing all our efforts to the face shield. While masks have been proven to be effective, I still think that we should go to what to the experts say: social distancing and hygiene is still the best. In this time when we are unsure if we can acquire a vaccine, it is best to listen to what the infectious disease experts are telling us.

We are all waiting on what the government will require us to wear next. Bunny suits as personal protective equipment? Space suits? The list of funny things they would ask for goes on and on. I only wish that they would redirect their attention to the root of the problem instead of looking for other ways to disrupt the already adjusting life of the Filipinos. Let’s not even get started on the motorcycle barrier which was also a stupid move in the first place.

What we need right now is mass testing, improvement of health services and jobs that are adaptable to the new normal. How can we survive and thrive if there is little to no action at all? Well, as of now, I’ll have to wear my face shield because they said so.