After the government scrapped the use of face shields in many areas in the country last year, the Department of Education (DepEd) said that this may now be used by learners, teachers, and non-teaching personnel in schools as an alternative to wearing face masks.
Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte issued DepEd Order No. 39 series of 2022 dated Sept. 22 which contained the health and safety protocols in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the latest issuance, DepEd ordered the mandatory wearing of face masks for teachers and learners in enclosed spaces. The department also identified face shields as an alternative to wearing face masks in enclosed spaces.
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https://mb.com.ph/2022/09/15/deped-to-release-updated-guidelines-on-face-mask-use-in-schools/
“Wearing of face masks shall be mandatory for all personnel, learners, and visitors inside classrooms, laboratories, and other school rooms, but shall be voluntary in open spaces, or non-crowded outdoor areas with good ventilation, as well as in playing sports and other physical activities,” Duterte said in the order.
Open spaces and outdoor areas, she explained, mean “areas or open spaces with or without roofing.”
However, Duterte said that a “face shield may be used in lieu of a face mask” for specific situations where removal of a face mask is warranted such as activities that require the “entire face of an individual to be visible.”
“During these specific activities, safe distance, adequate ventilation, and proper hygiene shall be strictly ensured at all times,” Duterte said.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., through Executive Order No. 3, has allowed the voluntary use of face masks in outdoor areas.
Despite this, Duterte said that schools still need to ensure the availability of face masks, especially for “learners who may come to school not wearing one.”
Schools, she added, may continue to seek the assistance of the local government as needed to “ensure the ample and regular supply of face masks.”
Duterte also reiterated that health and sanitation expenses are among those “clarified as allowed to be charged against the Use of Special Education Funds (SEF)” per DepEd-Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Joint Circular No. 2 series of 2020.
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