Face shield use to stay voluntary in Alert Level 2 areas, Palace says

Malacañang said Wednesday that the use of face shield in Alert Level 2 areas will remain voluntary, except in hospital settings.

Acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles made the clarification after President Rodrigo Duterte said people should continue using face shields amid the entry of the Omicron variant of coronavirus in the country. 

"Under Alert Level 2, the mandatory use of a face shield is only for hospital settings. Those are our guidelines," Nograles said.

"As to what the President said, it was only to remind people that the use of a face shield is voluntary [to have] an additional layer of protection," Nograles added.

Earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) said there is no need for face shield mandate even amid the emergence of the Omicron variant. 

"The virus is airborne, transferred via close contact transmission. What is important is observing social distancing, wearing face mask and hygiene," WHO representative to the Philippines Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe said.

"As long as these minimum public health protocols are complied with and we ensure that people do not congregate in closed settings...face shields, at this point, are not mandatory because we are still looking at and understanding the transmission dynamics of the Omicron variant," Abeyasinghe added.

The Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed at least three cases of Omicron variant so far, amid the steady drop in the number of new COVID-19 cases in the country.

On December 21, the Philippines registered 168 new COVID-19 cases, the lowest daily count in one year and seven months.

The government has placed the entire country under Alert Level 2 for the entire December.

Under Alert Level 2 — the second lowest in the new alert level system — certain establishments and activities are allowed at 50% capacity indoors for fully vaccinated adults (and minors, even if unvaccinated), and 70% capacity outdoors. —LBG, GMA News