QC mayor Belmonte backs ditching face shields

Quezon City Joy Belmonte on Wednesday expressed support for doing away with face shields as a requirement amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Interviewed on ANC, Belmonte agreed with the decision of other local government units that made the wearing of face shields only optional.

“I believe that it is the right thing to do,” she said.

“It doesn't actually work for the purpose it should serve. It is just there for the compliance. If that is the case, we might as well do away with it and just stress wearing facing face masks,” she added.

Citing a city ordinance, Belmonte said the QC government only required the wearing of face shields in closed spaces.

On Tuesday, Malacañang said that a number of members of the Inter-Agency Task Force are in favor of ditching the mandatory use of face shields when indoors due to the lower number of COVID-19 cases.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said, however, stressed that the IATF has yet to decide if the face shield should go.

Dr. Edsel Salvaña of the UP Manila-National Institute of Health (NIH), for his part, maintained that wearing a face shield has benefits. — Joviland Rita/BM, GMA News