Metro Manila mayors will defer to health experts before deciding on the possible reimposition of the face shield rule to thwart the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said Tuesday, November 30.
The capital region of 12 million people is currently under Alert Level 2, the second lowest quarantine classification wherein wearing of face shields is voluntary. Mayors have not formally discussed a change in policy after the requirement was removed on November 16, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman (MMDA) Benjamin Abalos said.
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"Depende 'to sa sasabihin sa amin ng experts. If the experts will tell us na kailangan, sige. Why not? Kung sasabihin naman nila na hindi kailangan, okay lang din but we need guidance from them," Abalos told reporters.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has endorsed the revival of the face shield mandate as the Philippines prepares for the entry of the Omicron variant that was first detected in South Africa.
Until quarantine rules were eased in mid-November, Filipinos endured wearing face shields on top of their face masks for a year. This, in the face of studies showing how face shields actually do what is more or less opposite of what we hope. However, the threat of the Omicron variant has prompted the government to revive stricter COVID-19 restrictions, particularly in terms of travel to thwart its spread.
So far, the Philippines has yet to report any case of the Omicron variant but Duque had said that its arrival in the country is only a matter of "when."