CEBU CITY – Passengers departing and arriving through the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) are now required to wear face shields, together with face masks, starting August 15.

In an advisory released on Friday, the MCIA said the move was in compliance with the earlier pronouncement of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for the public transport sector.

“All other individuals, including airport staff, meeters, and greeters, are also required to wear face shields and face masks while on airport premises,” the airport advisory said.

The MCIA has urged passengers to adhere to the health and safety procedures of the airport.

“The well-being of passengers and staff remains MCIA’s topmost priority in this continuing global battle against COVID-19,” it said.

Local airlines have also announced they will require all passengers to have their wear face shields and masks on while onboard flights.

MCIA Authority general manager Steve Dicdican said while the aviation industry is slowly recovering, it will take time for the airlines to respond.

He said airlines resuming flights to and from Cebu will also have to work to market their routes as travel demand remains low this time.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, MCIA could accommodate some 1,900 commercial flights weekly and 31,100 passengers daily.

The MCIA is projected to get back its pre-COVID-19 passenger traffic in two years.

For 2020, the country’s second-biggest air gateway is likely to see passenger traffic plunging to about three million, a level that was last seen more 10 years ago, Dicdican said.

In 2019, the airport had registered 12.6 million passenger volume in 2019.

Official data showed that for the month of June 2020 alone, MCIA’s passenger traffic reached only 26,018, marking a 98-percent drop from the 1.074 million recorded June last year.

The passenger traffic for the first half of 2020 reached only more than 2.463 million, down 61 percent from 6.353 million in the same period last year.