December 23 ------ For those who do not relish the thought of using face shields again while out in public, don’t fret. Cabinet Secretary and Acting Presidential Spokesperson Karlo Nograles clarified on Wednesday, Dec. 22 that President Duterte’s remarks prompting Filipinos to continue using face shields is “just a reminder” and not a policy.
“Iyong alert level 2 guidelines po natin very clearly state na iyong face shields are voluntary except in healthcare settings and hospital settings. So, iyon lang po ang mandatory,” Nograles said during a virtual press conference. “Iyong sinabi po ni Pangulo kagabi is just a reminder to people that it’s voluntary at dahil may banta ng Omicron at ito nga, iyong laban natin against COVID-19, the face shields still act as an additional layer of protection,” the Palace official explained.
In the “Talk to the People” public briefing that aired late Tuesday night, Duterte advised Filipinos not to ditch face shields and instead continue to use them. “Kaya yung talagang gustong di kayo matamaan, huwag niyong itapon yung shield, continue using it, I advise you. Because I really firmly believe that the wearing of that face shield has contributed a lot,” Duterte said, referring to the consistently low fresh daily COVID-19 cases that the country has been recording for weeks now.
The Omicron variant of COVID-19 is being blamed for horrific surges in other parts of the globe. In the Philippines, only three Omicron cases have been detected so far. “So, kumbaga, as a good father of the family, ang paalala lang ni Pangulo is if you want to be really fully protected, bagama’t voluntary pa iyong face shields, that is an added layer of protection against COVID whatever variant, including iyong Omicron variant,” Nograles said. Nograles also serves as spokesperson of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases or IATF–the body that formulates the government’s response mechanism against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: mb.com.ph
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