Bikers in Valenzuela City will be exempted from wearing face shields, the city government announced on Monday.
Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian said they "copied" Pasig City's move to exempt its bikers from wearing face shields to ensure their safety on the roads.
"For safety reasons, the city government saw the wisdom of the move of Pasig City. We copied it because we want our bikers to be safe," he said in a text message to reporters.
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) recently required everyone, including bikers and joggers, to wear face shields on top of face masks while out in public during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
But the Pasig City government said wearing face shields obstructs bikers' view and makes it difficult to breathe, making it more dangerous for them. It said bikers should be safe from getting infected as long as they keep distance from other commuters and motorists.
The local government of Valenzuela said residents and visitors of the city still have to wear face shields when going out in public or entering establishments.