President Rodrigo Duterte has decided to keep his original policy on the mandatory use of face shields indoors and outdoors “in view” of a more transmissible Delta variant of Covid-19.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque retracted his earlier statement that face shields will no longer be required outdoors except in enclosed public spaces such as commercial establishments, malls, and public transportation.

“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,” Roque said in a Tweet.

In an earlier press briefing, Roque said Duterte would announce his decision on the use of face shields in his “Talk to the People” on Monday night.

Duterte, last Thursday, decided to ease the government’s face shield requirement by allowing its use only in hospitals.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), however, appealed to keep the rule on the use of face shields in enclosed public spaces such as commercial establishments, malls, and public transportation.

Lawmakers urged the Department of Health (DOH) to review the face shield policy, saying that the policy is anti-poor.

Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno also urged the national government to scrap its policy of requiring Filipinos to wear face shields outdoors.

Infectious disease expert Dr. Edsel Salvaña, who is also a member of the DOH technical advisory group, rejected the proposal to drop the policy requiring the use of face shields in public spaces.

Salvaña, in a Facebook post, said face shields provide eye protection and prevent people from touching their faces and pulling down their masks.

Roque earlier said Filipinos need not spend too much since most of them have already bought face shields.

The IATF-EID in December last year decided to make it mandatory for the public to wear face mask and face shield in all public spaces to prevent a spike in Covid-19 cases. (PNA)