MMDA chairman Benhur Abalos said that the face shields “can be removed except for areas such as hospitals, health centers, and public utility vehicles.”
Metro Manila mayors are eyeing to scrap the mandatory wearing of face shields, as Covid-19 infection in the metropolis has been decreasing.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Monday (November 8, 2021) said the local executives will recommend to the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to lift the order of mandatory wearing of face shields except for some places that are critical.
MMDA chairman Benhur Abalos said that the face shields “can be removed except for areas such as hospitals, health centers, and public utility vehicles.”
"We will recommend the scrapping of mandatory wearing of face shields to the IATF especially since the majority of the eligible population in Metro Manila are already fully vaccinated and the average daily attack rate as well as the number of Covid-19 cases are going down," Abalos said in a statement.
Abalos added that they will forward their official position to the IATF who have the final say.He also said that if given green light, face shields will no longer be required in malls.
Since December last year, the IATF has implemented the mandatory use of face shields in all public spaces to curb the transmission of Covid-19.
But in September, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the removal of face shield use except for closed, crowded, and close contact areas.
Meanwhile, Abalos also said that the Metro Manila mayors have agreed to require vaccination among exhibitors and sellers at tiangge and pop-up night markets for the safety of the public.
"Since tiangges are seasonal and often last for only two months and sellers come from different areas, it is only proper to require them to be vaccinated," Abalos said.
Tags: #Covid19, #healthprotocols, #faceshields, #MetroManila