Following the reported locally detected increase in Delta variants of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the government decided to keep the mandatory wearing of face shields.
In his Twitter account, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said President Rodrigo R. Duterte decided to reconsider his policy pronouncement last week to scrap the policy of requiring the public to face shields.
“Acting on the advice of health experts and view of the Delta variant, PRRD declared that the wearing of face shields, both indoor and outdoor, is still mandatory,” Roque said. Roque issued the statement announcing on Monday afternoon that the wearing of face shields will no longer be required when going outdoors.
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) appealed to Duterte to at least reconsider the use of face shields for enclosed areas, indoor spaces of hospitals, schools, workplaces, commercial establishments such as but not limited to food establishment, malls and public markets, public transport and terminals and places of worships.
The Philippine Genome Center reported there are currently 17 cases of Delta Variant, which was first detected in India.
Four of the most recently detected cases are returning overseas Filipinos. Of which, three of whom came from the MV Eastern Hope, which is a ship currently docked in South Korea, while remaining one is an overseas Filipino worker, who came from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
The government imposed travel restrictions for countries with confirmed cases of the Delta variant, which included India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, UAE, and Oman.
Roque reiterated Filipinos from the said countries could still go home provided it is through repatriation of the government or their respective recruitment or manning agencies.
“We could like to ask for patience and apology [from our affected overseas Filpinos]. You know what happened in India. I’m sure you don’t want that to happen in your own country and loved ones that is why we are careful in preventing the entry of the Delta variant,” Roque said.
India and other countries with the Delta variant suffered a surge in Covid-19 cases.
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