Palace: Nothing wrong with 'flip-flopping' on face shield policy

There is nothing wrong with rapidly changing the policy on face shield use in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Malacañang said Tuesday amid the confusion caused by its previous statements on the matter.

After presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said last week that President Rodrigo Duterte's remark that face shields should only be worn in hospitals can be considered policy, Duterte on Tuesday announced that face shields should be worn indoors and outdoors.

The decision was reached after various government officials made differing statements on the mandatory use of face shields on top of face masks.

“Walang mali mag-flip-flop kung merong supervening events. Kaya tayo nag-flip-flop [on face shield policy] dahil sa Delta variant,” Roque said in his regular press briefing.

(There is nothing wrong with flip-flopping if there are supervening events. The change is policy was because of the Delta variant of the coronavirus.)

The Delta variant, first detected in India, is 60% more transmissible, according to health experts. The Philippines has recorded 17 cases of Delta variant so far.

“Depende kung ano ang nadidiskubre ng siyensiya, kailangan marunong tayo mag-adapt [We should know how to adapt with whatever science discovers),” Roque said.

“Wala pong flip-flopping kasi dapat marunong tayong mag adapt ng proteksiyon alinsunod sa pag-mutate ng virus,” Roque added.

(This is not flip-flopping because we have to adapt in protecting ourselves as the virus mutates.)

In a briefing with Roque last week, molecular biologist Fr. Nick Austriaco of OCTA Research said wearing face shield increases protection from virus transmission by 9%. --KBK, GMA News