The Department of Health asked Monday local governments to maintain the requirement on wearing of face shields mandatory pending the results of a review on national policy.
Manila on Monday became the third city to make face shields voluntary in public places after Davao and Iloilo last week. The DOH spokesperson, Usec. Rosario Vergeire, appealed to city authorities to put the policy easing on hold.
"Nananawagan po tayo sa ating mga local governments, antayin po natin ang IATF na makapagbigay ng kanilang agreement o decision regarding the face shield. Until we can have the IATF resolution, we urge all local governments to hold their executive orders or their issuances so that we can all be uniform in our implementation and we are all aligned," she told reporters.
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She reminded local officials that under the existing IATF resolution, face shields are required in 3Cs (closed, crowded, close-contact) setting. President Rodrigo Duterte removed the face shield requirement in outdoor areas in September.
The DOH will meet with experts late Monday to update the current review of evidence for face shield use. The department will then make its recommendation to the IATF by Thursday, Nov. 11.