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Duterte declares mandatory wearing of face shields indoors and outdoors: spox

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Jamaine Punzalan, ABS-CBN News 

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/news/06/21/20210617-covid-face-shield-requirement-md-2891.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption>People wearing face masks and face shields walk along a footbridge in Quezon City on June 17, 2021. Face shields may be removed in outdoor settings according to a Department of Health official, with President Rodrigo Duterte agreeing that face shields should only be worn in hospitals. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File</figcaption></figure></div><h3>Duterte on face shields: I never said with finality that we should do away with it</h3>MANILA (3rd UPDATE) — Wearing of face shields is mandatory both indoors and outdoors, Malacañang said on Monday, after the Philippines detected <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/21/21/philippines-has-4-new-cases-of-covid-19-delta-variant-35-carriers-of-other-strains">4 more cases</a> of the more contagious Delta COVID-19 variant.&quot;Acting on the advice of health experts and in view of the Delta variant, PRRD declared that the wearing of face shields, both indoor and outdoor, is still mandatory,&quot; Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said on Twitter.Asked if this is now an official policy, Roque replied in the affirmative in a text message. President Rodrigo Duterte, in a taped meeting Monday night, said there was no finality in his previous statement regarding the use of face shields.&quot;Alam mo kasi (You know), when I mentioned about the face shield, I was only shooting the breeze with congressmen, with the members of the Congress who were there. I never said with finality that we would do away with the face shield,&quot; he said.&quot;I will agree with you, considering that this D variant is very aggressive and it can proliferate in so much short period of time. We may experience a second wave much more serious than the first. Ang problema diyan is I do not think it will require the same vaccines that we are using now...It&#x27;s a small inconvenience, really,&quot; Duterte added.Duterte last week limited the use of face shields at hospitals. But the COVID-19 task force urged him to require the plastic face coverings in enclosed and indoor spaces in <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/17/21/iatf-face-shield-duterte-covid" target="_blank">more public places</a>. The health department said earlier in the day it has detected a total of 17 cases of the Delta COVID-19 variant that was first monitored in India. Dr. Edsel Salvana, a member of the Department of Health&#x27;s Technical Advisory Group, said the strain is 40% more contagious outdoors and 50% more indoors, and that wearing a face shield will be adding another layer of defense.&quot;We will still recommend [the public] to use face shields, even outdoors, especially with the threat of the Delta variant,&quot; he said.Philippine General Hospital&#x27;s Dr. Anna Lisa Ong-Lim also noted that in India, more healthcare workers not wearing face shields were infected with the COVID-19 strain than those using the protective equipment.&quot;Dahil po sa proteksyon na maaari ibigay ng face shield at sa patuloy na pagdami ng COVID-19 variants na napatunayan naman nating mas nakakahawa, inirerekomenda na ipagpatuloy ang pagsuot ng faceshield sa labas ng bahay,&quot; she said.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/06/18/21/hundreds-of-vaccinated-indonesian-health-workers-get-covid-19-dozens-in-hospital">Hundreds of vaccinated Indonesian health workers get COVID-19, dozens in hospital</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/18/21/doh-walang-dapat-ikabahala-sa-bisa-ng-sinovac-vaccine-kontra-covid-19">DOH: Walang dapat ikabahala sa bisa ng Sinovac vaccine kontra COVID-19</a></li></ul>The variant triggered a catastrophic wave of coronavirus cases in India. It is fast becoming the globally dominant variant of the disease, the World Health Organization&#x27;s chief scientist said last week. In May, the World Health Organization (WHO) termed it a &quot;variant of concern,&quot; citing its high transmissibility.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/06/21/21/israel-urges-adolescents-to-get-vaccinated-cit">Israel urges 12-15-year-olds to get vaccinated, citing Delta variant</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/06/18/21/sydney-reinstates-masks-to-contain-delta-covid-19-variant">Sydney reinstates masks to contain Delta COVID-19 variant</a></li></ul>The original variant detected in Wuhan, China can infect about 2 people, said Philippine Genome Center Executive Director Dr. Cynthia Saloma. The Alpha variant observed in the UK is transmissible to up to 4 or 5 people, while the Delta variant can infect up to 8 persons at a time, she said in a Palace briefing. Health officials said face shields provide an added protection on those already wearing face masks.The Philippines has suspended the entry of travelers from India and 6 other countries to contain the spread of the Delta variant. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/19/21/strict-border-control-vital-in-keeping-off-delta-variant-from-ph-doh">Strict border control vital in keeping off Delta variant from PH- DOH</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/21/21/ofw-repatriation-travel-ban-india-delta-covid-variant">&#x27;Contact embassy, manning agency,&#x27; Palace tells OFWs stranded due to travel ban</a></li></ul>With some 1.3 million coronavirus infections and around 23,000 deaths, the Philippines has the second highest COVID-19 tally in Southeast Asia, next to Indonesia. <div>– With a report from Reuters </div>

MANILA (3rd UPDATE) — Wearing of face shields is mandatory both indoors and outdoors, Malacañang said on Monday, after the Philippines detected 4 more cases of the more contagious Delta COVID-19 variant.

MANILA (3rd UPDATE) — Wearing of face shields is mandatory both indoors and outdoors, Malacañang said on Monday, after the Philippines detected 4 more cases of the more contagious Delta COVID-19 variant.

Duterte declares mandatory wearing of face shields indoors and outdoors: spox

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Duterte declares mandatory wearing of face shields indoors and outdoors: spox

Jamaine Punzalan,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 21, 2021 07:51 PM PHT

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Updated June 22, 2021 12:09 AM PHT

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