ILOILO City – Do not be confused. The city ordinance regulating the use of facemasks and face shields prevails over the recent directive of the national government’s Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) making it mandatory for everybody to wear “full face” shields in public in addition to facemasks, according to a city government official.
The amended “Facemask Ordinance” mandates the wearing of face shields and masks in malls, markets, schools, commercial establishments, office buildings, and public utility vehicles.
“In the interest of road safety”, however, the ordinance exempts drivers of public and private vehicles as well as motorists from wearing face shields while driving.
Face shields may also be removed according to the demands of a person’s work or when the occupational safety and health of the person so requires.
The ordinance also gives people the option to wear, in lieu of face shields, eye protectors such as prescription eyeglasses, goggles, or visor-type face shields.
Jeck Conlu, spokesperson of the city government’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Team, made this clarification to address the public confusion.
The city’s Facemask Ordinance was authored by Councilor Ely Armada Estante Jr.
“In our city, our basis will be our city ordinance. It will prevail over the pronouncement of the IATF,” said Conlu, even if the task force will put into writing its directive and cascade it to local government units.
On Tuesday, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the mandatory wearing of “full face” shields together with face masks aims to “effectively lessen the transmission of COVID-19”.
The country is bracing for a possible rise in COVID-19 infections this holiday season.
People can catch COVID-19 from others who have the virus. The disease can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales.
These droplets also land on objects and surfaces around the person. Other people then catch COVID-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth.
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness, and dry cough.
Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea. These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually. Some people become infected but don’t develop any symptoms and don’t feel unwell.
Most people (about 80 percent) recover from the disease without needing special treatment, according to the World Health Organization.
Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, are more likely to develop serious illness./PN
