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HOW WILL THEY KISS? Makati Mayor Abby Binay presides over a mass wedding Tuesday at the city’s Washington Sycip Park. She and the couples wear masks and face shields to protect against the new coronavirus. The government’s coronavirus response task force has decreed the use of face shields in public, long after Filipinos have turned to wearing plastic face covers to avoid contracting COVID-19. —LYN RILLON
In addition to protective masks, people must now wear face shields every time they go out, Malacañang said Tuesday.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the mandatory use of face shields was one of the recommendations adopted by the Interagency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases during its meeting Monday.
The regulation of facial protection is part of the measures to reduce the transmission of the new coronavirus, especially during the Christmas season, said Roque.
He said Filipinos would have no difficulty complying with the regulation as everyone was supposed to wear a face shield when going to work, the mall, church and public transportation.
A face shield today costs as low as P5, he said.
Added protection
“It is a reality that we all have a face shield. The new rule is just that we just use it when we leave the house. So I don’t think it’s a question of cost anymore because I doubt there is a person who doesn’t have a face shield. So let’s say it’s additional protection and it’s here to stay until we get vaccinated, ”Roque said.
Studies have also shown, he said, that people are less likely to contract the virus when they wear face shields.
Roque said the task force only approved full face shields. However, it did not say whether wearing half-face shields was considered a violation of public health standards.
He said the penalty for not wearing face shields would be determined by local governments, which would amend ordinances or issue new executive orders that would require the use of face shields.
On Tuesday, the Department of Health (DOH) reported 1,135 additional coronavirus infections, bringing the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country to 451,839.
Rizal province recorded the highest number of new infections, 117, followed by Bulacan (84), Quezon City (71), Isabela (39) and Laguna (38).
The DOH said 173 more patients had recovered, bringing the total number of COVID-19 survivors to 418,867. But the death toll rose to 8,812 with the death of 56 more patients.
Quarantine Isabela
Deaths and recoveries left the country with 24,160 active cases, of which 84.7 percent were mild, 6.4 percent asymptomatic, 0.30 percent moderate, 2.9 percent severe, and 5.7 percent critical.
Roque said the task force also recommended placing Isabela province, excluding the city of Santiago, under general community quarantine until late December. The new quarantine category was recommended by the provincial government after an increase in the daily attack rate and the two-week daily growth rate of COVID-19 cases in Isabela.
The task force also passed the in-person qualification examination of insurance agents in areas that are under general community quarantine, subject to health and safety rules to be issued by the Insurance Commission.
The task force also approved the request of the Philippine Olympic Committee to allow athletes participating in the Tokyo Olympic Games to resume training in a “bubble-like environment” in coordination with the regional task force and local government where will carry out the training. .
The working group also approved the operation of provincial buses on point-to-point routes that would be approved by the Land Transportation Franchise Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and local governments, with provisions for stopovers and transit terminals. –WITH A REPORT FROM DONA Z. PAZZIBUGAN INQ
For more news on the new coronavirus, click here.
What you need to know about the coronavirus.
For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.
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