DOH insists on mask, shield regs amid call for workplace exemptions

The Department of Health (DOH) stood firm that the mandatory wearing of face masks and face shields can reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19 amid the call of the business sector to exempt workers inside offices and factories from the health protocol.

“Ang amin pong punto at posisyon mula po nung umpisa ‘yung pagsusuot ng mask, ‘yung pagsusuot ng face shield, ‘yung paggawa ng physical distancing, ‘yung paghuhugas ng kamay,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said during the Laging Handa public briefing on Saturday.

“‘Yun po ang aming isinusulong at ina-advocate po sa lahat at hindi po namin iko-compromise itong posisyon na ito dahil base po sa siyensya at ebidensya, sinasabi na when you wear a mask, you can decrease the incidence or probability na ma-infect as much as 70 percent,” she said.

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Philippine Silk Road International Chamber of Commerce (PSRICC), Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), and Philippine Exporters Confederation (PhilExport) had called for exemptions on the “wearing of face shields inside the office and factories for the rest of our employees, since this can adversely affect their vision, physical safety and productivity.”

In August, the government required the wearing of face masks and face shields in workplaces amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said that employers could be held administratively liable if this health measure was not observed in the workplace, although non-observance would not result in the closure of the workplace.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom found that covering the face can block the spread of COVID-19 linked droplets by 99.9 percent.

“Pag sinamahan niyo pa ho ng face shield at sinamahan niyo pa ho ng physical distancing, you can prevent yourself from being infected as much as 99 percent,” Vergeire said. — DVM, GMA News