MANILA – The wearing of facemasks both indoors and outdoors is still mandatory.
President Rodrigo Duterte has maintained mandatory wearing of face shields, whether outdoor or indoor, Malacañang said Monday.
In a Twitter post that was completely contradictory to a statement, he issued hours ago, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said wearing face shields will remain mandatory as declared by the President.
“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,” he said.
In a Palace briefing on the same day, Roque said wearing face shields is no longer needed outdoors except in public transportation and crowded places like public markets.
He said the only contention on face shields is their use in indoor places such as malls and other commercial establishments, but wearing them outdoors is clearly no longer required.
“Ang malinaw po ganito, hindi na kinakailangan ng face shield sa labas kasi hindi naman inapela ‘yan ng IATF,” Roque said in a Palace briefing.
“Ang inapela lang ng IATF ay ‘yung pagsuot ng face shields sa loob kasama na sa mga malls at iba pang commercial establishments at sa mga pampublikong transportasyon,” he added.
Roque earlier said the President would discuss the issue on his regular public address “Talk to the People” on Monday night.
However, he announced face shields even though the address has yet to be aired.(©Philippine Daily Inquirer 2021)
