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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Face shield policy recommendations should not come from politicians — Mayor Belmonte

Face shield policy recommendations should not come from politicians — Mayor Belmonte

Published Jun 4, 2021 11:31 am

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said on Friday that the recommendation to no longer require face shields in the country should not come from politicians.

Asked for her opinion on the government's policy on the mandatory wearing of face shields, Belmonte said politicians like her should not decide about health protocols against COVID-19 as it should be decided by the "scientific community."

"Ako naman po ay umaasa na maglabas ng statement ang scientific community, ang mga medical professionals, kasi hindi po dapat manggaling sa pulitiko ang health protocols. Kailangan po manggaling sa health practitioners (I hope that the scientific community will release a statement on t because health protocols should not come from politicians but from health practitioners)," the mayor said in a DZXL interview.

"Tayo naman po ay sumusunod lang sa mga utos ng pamahalaan (We're just following the national government's mandate)," she added.

On Wednesday, Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso urged the national government to reconsider its policy on mandatory wearing of face shields so the public would no longer be financially burdened in buying these.

"Ako ay nananawagan sa mga ahensya ng gobyerno na nagtatala ng mga alituntunin na dapat na nating araling muli ang polisiya na kung saan ay nirerequire ang taong bayan na mag face shield sa general population or public places (I’m appealing to the concerned agencies of the government tasked in creating rules and policies to study again the policy requiring the public to wear face shields in public places),” Domagoso said.

“Kung yung tao eh hirap na sa buhay, kung wala namang siyentipikong pagpapatunay tungkol sa face shield, eh baka pwede na natin itong rebisahin para sa ganoon ay makatulong tayong mabawasan ang gastusin ng bawat tao dahil ang face shield ho eh di naglalast nang matagal at every now and then eh bumibili ang mga tao (If the person is already having financial difficulties and if there’s no scientific proof about the wearing of face shields, then maybe we can revise the policy already),” he added.

Domagoso said that even if face shields only cost around P10 to P20, it is still an added expense for a simple employee or someone living below the poverty line.

He said another reason he is urging the government to reconsider the policy is because elderly people are having difficulty in breathing due to the wearing of face shields on top of face masks.

In August, 2020, the national government started requiring the public to wear face shields, aside from face masks, to protect them from getting infected with COVID-19.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque on Thursday said Domagoso's recommendation to stop the use of face shields is "okay" if only the country has a "wide vaccination coverage."

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