Metro mayors defer decision on face shields

MANILA, Philippines — Mayors in Metro Manila would rather wait for a decision from health experts on whether or not the requirement to wear face shields in public places will be lifted.

Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez, who chairs the mayors’ group the Metro Manila Council (MMC), said the local executives are “not experts” on the issue and would rather wait for recommendations.

“We always ask for the recommendation from health experts and, based on what (Health) Secretary (Francisco) Duque said, we are still not ready to nix the use of face shields because the number of people that are fully vaccinated is not that many,” he told dzMM in Filipino.

Olivarez noted that wearing face masks and shields as well as practicing social distancing heighten the protection of people by as much as 90 percent.

“We cannot relax yet,” he said, while acknowledging that the COVID-19 situation in Metro Manila is improving.

He added that Manila Mayor Isko Moreno’s earlier proposal to do away with wearing the shields was his personal stand on the matter.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said at yesterday’s virtual briefing that until 30 percent of the population is immunized, the Department of Health (DOH) is not inclined to recommend liberal incentive for fully vaccinated individuals.

She noted that countries that have eased restrictions, like the US and the United Kingdom, have already vaccinated 30 to 40 percent of their population.

While admitting that the government has received many requests to ease restrictions especially for the elderly and the fully vaccinated individuals, she stressed the need to thoroughly study the proposal.

Vergeire noted that experts have recommended the relaxation of restrictions when the country reaches a 30-percent vaccine coverage for the entire population and 50 percent for the senior citizens.

“Try to be patient. We will also reach that point where, when we’ll have the threshold, we will have this kind of liberal incentives for the fully vaccinated,” she said.

Olivarez said he has proposed to allow senior citizens that are fully vaccinated to get out of their homes, although the DOH is still studying the proposal. While the elderly is second in the government’s vaccination priority, only a small percentage of them have been immunized due to the scarcity of vaccines. – Mayen Jaymalin