Face shields are no longer mandatory for commuters in areas under Alert Levels 1, 2, and 3, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said on Tuesday.

This, after President Rodrigo Roa Duterte approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF-EID) to make the wearing of face shields voluntary in areas under Alert Level 1 to 3.

DOTr Undersecretary for Administrative Services Artemio Tuazon Jr. said the new protocols on the use of face shields will be immediately enforced.

For areas under Alert Level 5 and granular lockdowns, he said face shields remain mandatory in “community settings.”

“For areas under Alert Level 4, local government units (LGUs) and private establishments are given the discretion to mandate the use of face shields,” Tuazon said in a statement on Tuesday.

Wearing face shields were mandatory in all modes of public transportation in the country since Aug. 15, 2020, as part of the country’s health and safety protocols against Covid-19. (PNA)